What do a luxurious high-end handbag and a kitchen have in common? Give up? Fendi! One of the most impressive exhibits I viewed earlier this year at EuroCucina in Milan was the one featuring Fendi. As you can imagine, a show like EuroCucina (a part of the even larger Salone Internazionale del Mobile) encompasses pretty much everything you could ever think of when it comes to kitchen design. Not only that, I saw things I've never imagined in my wildest dreams! The Fendi's Casa Ambiente Cucina line fits squarely in that category. 
Styling can be described as elegant and sophisticated with details that call to mind to a fancy buckle or luxurious lining on your favorite expensive bag. Speaking of linings, I was impressed with the cabinet interiors too. In this case beauty isn't only skin deep it extends to what's inside. This includes clear (yes CLEAR) roll outs and LED illumination which activates when you open the door or drawer.
Fendi Kitchens made its debut at Salone two years ago with its first line of kitchen designs known as Ambienta Cucina, produced for them by SCIC, a high-end Italian kitchen manufacturer.
The Fendi exhibit was kept strictly under wraps, no peeking from outside and once you were cleared to enter photography was verboten! Big burly bouncer type guys were on hand to enforce the no pic policy. Sadly I witnessed one enthusiastic viewer caught in the act. She was made to show her phone and delete all photos in presence of bouncer! I thought the whole point of showing at a trade show was to garner publicity, no?
Fendi Casa Ambiente Cucina can be ordered in the U.S. exclusively through the Luxury Living Group in Los Angeles, Miami, and New York. Their offerings are truly a marriage of quality and fine design 
Check out Kitchens for Living On the Road to view all my pics and comments from Eurocucina 2014 and more!
Euro Cucina 2014
I'm home and just about recovered from my jet lag. All pics are up for your perusal. It was a fabulous trip and my heartfelt gratitude goes out to the golden peeps at Blanco, including travel mate Christy Emens as well as Lori Dolnick of Frank Advertising. I was honored to be included with fellow bloggers Marilyn Russell (DesignMagnifique), Kelly Morisseau (KellyMorisseau.com) and Grace & Ken Kelly of (kitchendesigns.com). Having been to many trade shows in the US over the years, I've always wanted to experience the bigger, global picture. Now I have and it was amazing.
I arrived on Monday morning ready to explore. Lori and I took a stroll and stumbled upon a delicious lunch and a very cool design museum but first things first. I'm dying to tell you about all the products and trends I saw at the big show. Euro Cucina only comes along every two years as a part of the Salone del Mobile. Milano. There is also a whole section devoted to the bath called Salone Internazionale del Bagno. Kitchen gadgets and appliances are shown in the FTK section. I did a pretty good job of covering those but I estimate that was only about 20% of the entire show, the rest being furniture and other aspects of design. Here's what caught my eye.
Counter tops were either very thin or chunky, like 1/2" for the thin and 3" for the chunky. I saw a lot of mixing of materials, in fact, that was probably the one biggest trend I saw for both counter tops and cabinets. It is also one that can easily be adapted to our US market. Counter top materials are much more adventurous than the usual granite or quartz that we are used to here. I saw wood, Corian, recycled composite material and more. The overlapping installation here was also quite common.
The kitchen sink saw some new innovations including lots of accessories and different methods of installation. The inset style above, by Blanco, is factory installed by Leicht for a perfect fit. This particular one is not available to us in the US but we can get the Precision model with the distinctive square corner interior for undermount applications. 
Cabinets featured lots of defined graining in woods such as white oak, rosewood and walnut in both horizontal and vertical directions, sometimes on the same door. I also saw some interesting variations on the popular slab and Shaker silhouettes.
LED lights illuminated the interior of all cabinets including drawers. Just open the drawer and contents are illuminated. Cabinetry, for the most part was sleek on the outside, party on the inside! By that I mean that interiors were tricked out to the max to ensure convenient and efficient storage. Oh and yes, that 's a truck load of chocolate on the top, almost as intriguing as the drawer. If you think that's eye candy, just wait till you get to the end of the post!
This is just the first in a series of posts about Milan and Salone Internazionale del Mobile. Upcoming posts will include our visits to Acheo and Poggenpohl showrooms and much more. So what do you think of these kitchen trends so far? I think some will make it over the pond but you can always know that whatever we do, we'll do it with an Americano twist. More later :)Click here for a peek at all my Milan photos!
CleverStorageUS by Kessebohmer showed this blind corner pull out (below) which I specify all the time. I think it's really the best way to take advantage of an awkward space.
Traditional styling was represented but examples were relatively few. Some very opulent looks, traditional with high tech functionality
Visual Texture was abundant on cabinet fronts with laminates that look like the real deal. But don't let looks deceive, these laminate fronts behind us (below) are by Leicht and are smooth as the proverbial baby's bottom!
Italian men were also on display and I would be remiss if I didn't cover that aspect of the show. So there I was minding my own business, when a fashion show erupted (it was actually in the Bath section of the show).
This is just the first in a series of posts about Milan and Salone Internazionale del Mobile. Upcoming posts will include our visits to Acheo and Poggenpohl showrooms and much more. So what do you think of these kitchen trends so far? I think some will make it over the pond but you can always know that whatever we do, we'll do it with an Americano twist. More later :)Click here for a peek at all my Milan photos!Getting Ready to Meet Milan
Where can you go to see the genius of Leonardo da Vinci as well as the brilliance of contemporary couture and cutting edge design? MILAN!!! This year I will be one of the more than two million annual visitors to Milan. I'm excited to be a part of the Blanco team covering the Milan Furniture Fair or more properly referred to as, Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano.
Originally an Italian furniture show, the event has grown, since 1961 into a major international happening for the design world. Always held in April, this year Milan Design Week runs from April 8-13th. Besides being a major world fashion and design capital, Milan is home to the 5th largest cathedral in the world, Santa Maria delle Grazie.
- Santa Maria delle Grazie
Santa Maria is home to many da Vinci paintings, including The Last Supper, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Naturally I will be very interested in the EuroCucina/International Kitchen Furniture Exhibition segment of the show. This, along with the International Bathroom Exhibition are a part of the big event every two years. A little (Italian) bird tells me that this year we will continue to see an abundance of natural finishes.
Technology designed to improve the kitchen experience will be its own category and for the first time, American manufacturer SubZero Wolf will be joining the mix.
The Bathroom Exhibition's theme is all about creating a "temple for the mind and body" with the latest products and accessories you need to create the "spa experience".
SOOOO if you haven't put Kitchens for Living into your regular-blog-reading-rotation, now might be a great time. It's so good to know what's going on in the rest of the world and I'm so excited to share iSaloni and all my impressions of beautiful Milano. You can also follow me on FaceBook, Twitter and Instagram for updates.