Fisher & Paykel's First EuroCucina

It’s an exciting moment when an Antipodean brand makes an impression on the world stage. For iconic New Zealand brand Fisher & Paykel, today marks the beginning of their first exhibit at Salone de Mobile and EuroCucina in Milan.

The Fisher & Paykel stand is a constant hive of activity at EuroCucina, with visitors drawn in by the unique stand design and glimpses into a beautiful, softly-lit interior. Clad in beautiful charred timber and blackened steel, the exterior is minimalist and contemporary, yet remains subtly organic and textural. The large, black structure is an inviting and atmospheric design that manages to capture the friendly, approachable nature of the New Zealand people and the rugged and striking natural beauty of the landscape that inspires Fisher & Paykel’s work.

As you enter the stand, you are welcomed into The Social Kitchen, an elegant interpretation on the future of kitchen design. A tactile, floating hand-chiseled wood island bench is closer to a piece of furniture than a traditional kitchen, and immediately prompts visitors to engage with its materiality – every visitor can be observed running their hands over the smooth yet textural surface. The design of the timber bench structure reflects traditional Maori carving, with precise cabinetry detailing. A floating stone bench is then juxtaposed above the soft, rounded forms of the timber, and rough-hewn serving rocks are placed at intervals along the bench. These serving rocks juxtapose cutting-edge technology – one of the rocks is actually an induction cooking surface – with the rawness of the natural material. 130,000 year-old Taranaki Andesit, the rocks were quarried from Mt Taranaki located on the central West coast of New Zealand’s North Island and hand carved by stone masons in the Bay of Plenty.

Moving through the stand, the fine natural materials with references to New Zealand are discovered to be a running motif throughout the design. These materials are the hero, with black interior walls a calm background for stunning brass patina sheet metal used on the Hero Kitchen’s island bench, paired with a finely textured Atlantic honed granite. Magnificent panoramas featuring video footage of New Zealand’s wild, rugged landscapes show these materials in their natural form, and provide European visitors an exceptional insight into how this landscape has shaped Fisher & Paykel’s design ethos.

One of the unique aspects of how Fisher & Paykel’s exhibit at EuroCucina is the presence of the senior design team, including Mark Elmore, General Manager Design, who have flown in from New Zealand. Engaging with architects, designers and customers is a key part of the team’s design process, and EuroCucina is an unparalleled opportunity for the designers to listen and respond to people as they experience the new products on display.

While visitors learn about the newest products from the designers, they are offered a selection of tastes inspired by New Zealand from The Social Kitchen. The induction serving stone heats a beaker of tea made from the native New Zealand Kawaka plant, while another serving stone is a foundation for a block of ice, served shaved with a syrup flavoured with gold kiwi (a unique New Zealand variety) whose rich fruit flavours and tart finish are reminiscent of the famous New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The fire and ice composition continues with a hot stone the perfect place to toast marshmallows infused with iconic New Zealand Manuka honey. A picturesque pile of powder-pink Nobel Riesling sherbet is the final offering, a different take on another famous New Zealand wine, which that is a scintillating combination of sour and sweet.

Fisher & Paykel are launching a number of new products at EuroCucina, including Integrated Column Refrigerators and Freezers with Variable Temperature Zones, the latest in cooking with a new range of soon-to-be released 60cm companion cookware, and a brand-new coffee maker, and microwave, with matching self-cleaning built-in oven. Seeing these products, being able to interact with and experience the way they look and feel, as well as meeting with the design team who created them is one of the key benefits of EuroCucina.

The Integrated Column refrigerators and freezers are an impressive combination of engineering and design that has to be seen to be believed. With a premium stainless-steel interior, lighting to each adjustable shelf, soft close runners on the drawers, not to mention fully integrated, panel-ready doors designed for a tiny 3mm gap, the attention to detail is breathtaking. This is all before you get to the main innovation of the products – the variable temperature functionality. With the ability to range from soft freeze to deep freeze, refrigeration to pantry temperature in individual drawers, they totally revolutionise the traditional fridge-freezer and provide unparalleled practicality as well as beautiful design.

While this technology is one of the most exciting and impressive innovations on display, each new product displays the same attention to detail and emphasis on design freedom, innovation and premium finish. From the trim kit that ensures all companion appliances have a consistent, streamlined profile to the newest model of the DishDrawer, very product shows in its own way why visitors have been flocking to the stand and leaving impressed.

From the beautifully juxtaposed materials of timber, stone and brass of the stand itself, to the new products on display, the Fisher & Paykel’s first EuroCucina is a feat of design that is both innovative and meaningful. The spirit of curiosity and the desire to engage with the design community that has brought Fisher & Paykel’s senior design team to Milan will also no doubt lead to exciting new design innovations in the year to come. As Salone de Mobile begins, it is inspiring to see New Zealand design brought to Europe’s biggest event on the design calendar.

Words by Rose Onans.