Focus on Arclinea: the history of kitchen furniture, its present and its future

Arclinea  is one of the historic Italian companies for the design and construction of kitchen furniture. It is a long-lived company, but retracing its history, it is appreciated, in particular, the ability to have always been able to anticipate trends, keep up with changes in our habits and therefore in the design of the kitchen, the center of home life which in the last fifty years has undergone a radical change, both in terms of technology and layout.

The kitchen, perhaps more than any other room in the house, has in fact changed its conformation: from a closed environment it has turned into an open space, from a purely technical room, intended for the preparation of meals, has evolved in place of relationships, often (by now it is almost the rule) becoming an integral part of the living room. A far-reaching transformation that Arclinea knew how to anticipate, guide, structure, combining new functions and aesthetics. Because when the kitchen opens its doors to the social dynamics of the home, it is expected to be also beautiful and cared for in the choice of materials, colors and lines. On the cover: storage layout by Arclinea.

That's why it is important to know the history of Arclinea: to discover, for example, that the company born in Caldogno (Vicenza) in 1925 as a carpentry shop, already in 1958 built Thea, the first modular kitchen, in 1963 Claudia, the first kitchen with integrated appliances, in 1968 Novia, the first laminate kitchen (avant-garde material at the time), in 1970, Gamma 30 the kitchen with doors without handles. And already in 1979 Punto & Linea, a project that connects the kitchen with the rest of the house. It is a succession of evolutions that continues and in 1986 the collaboration with  Antonio Citterio begins, and he becomes the project soul of the company signing, just to name a few, in 2002 Convivium, the "convivial" kitchen, in 2010 Spatia, the "widespread "kitchen and in 2012 Artusi outdoor, the outdoor kitchen.

In the image Convivium : the concept of this project by Antonio Citterio for Arclinea is the kitchen as a place to be and make things together. Not only a place where people store, prepare and cook the food but also a place where all these actions are an excuse to share moments of life. In which to pass down old family recipes, ritual moments with friends, sitting around a large table. In an aesthetic context with great attention to materials, lines and technologies: because to create memorable moments everything must work perfectly.

In the image Principia : tribute to wood, a material that more than others helps to make the atmosphere welcoming. Here Citterio opted for a rough finish, with an extremely natural effect to the touch and sight. The wood, however, takes on contemporary lines that go perfectly with the steel and marble inserts, used respectively for finishes and operating area. Also in this model, the convivial aspect is underlined by the presence of the large table, easy to imagine as a space intended for sharing the preparation and consumption of meals.

In the Gamma image: the Gamma line was born from the evolution of the Gamma 30 model, the first kitchen with doors without handles. The idea is to produce an affordable luxury option that responds in a simple but complete way to the design needs. Characteristic of the Gamma collection is the great variety of finishes and combinations, with a consequent price decline. In this image, for example, we see the linear version, with doors with vertical strips and groove opening, top and back in Quarzo Tech. Contemporary but easy to combine with different types of elements, such as an old wooden table that can heat the atmosphere.

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