MINOTTI CUCINE PIETRA DESIGN BY CLAUDIO SILVESTRIN
MINOTTI
CUCINE PIETRA DESIGN BY CLAUDIO SILVESTRIN
Strong,
enduring, immovable. masculine, but at the same time, maternal.
You challenge
time: trends do not touch you.
With humility
we ask you to serve the living and the dead. We pass by, you live on.
With this
kitchen, designed as steps, I wanted to express the part of you that is most
hidden: your lightness.
A movement
from low to high, high to low, a little like the existence of us mortals: a
life of inevitable and beautiful cracks.
Claudio Silvestrin
TECHNICAL
FEATURE
The whole
kitchen stands on a firm aluminium base and is built on a shared side modular
structure granting multiple compositions.
pietra is
made of white porphyry with stained lati wood carcass, it consists of four
modules of different heights and functions. the first module, 104 cm in height,
is the snack counter, a convivial space. the second runestone, 96 cm in height,
is the washing area. the large sink includes a washing area, a rinsing area and
a water cooler. The third, 88 cm in height, is the work area; it consists of a
fixed part and a moving part. By lifting the moving part we access an area for
plugging in small appliances. The fourth is a monolith, 80 cm in height; it is
a cooking area made of a unique modular ceramic glass top.
Modules can
be arranged in the space as required.
You may reach
to see another news from my blog Minotti Cucine Terra Kitchen design by Claudio
Silvestrin to click below link.
B
Doors have a bronze profile which frames the thin 5 mm
thick
stone sheets.
MINOTTI CUCINE
Minotti
cucine has always been in ponton di Sant’ambrogio di Valpolicella, in the
province of Verona. The church of San Giorgio in a closeby little borough of
early christian origin has been source of inspiration for Minotti Cucine. Its
peculiar aspect evokes three main concepts: A majestic, mono- chrome and
–material ethos.
The walls and
floors of this sacred building are made up of large stone slabs coming from
this area: The lessinia white stone. Its pure volumes are emphasized by the
natural light filtering from the few, long and narrow openings. At first the
inside is apparently dark, but once the visitor’s eyes get used to this
half-light, it’s unavoidable to perceive “the visual silence and spiritual
peace”.
The majesty
of San Giorgio church, whose main expression is the massive and vertical
presence of the bell tower, has inspired Minotti Cucine to design thick
volumes. It also influenced the architecture of Minotti Cucine seat: the
perfect proportions can be observed in the long and narrow walkway made up of
large white lessinia stone slabs.
Moreover, the
surrounding areas of Minotti Cucine have always been recognized as those where
stone is treated and cut. The local culture traditionally relied on the wisdom
and high quality of crafty masters.
Since the 60s
and 70s Minotti Cucine has designed kitchens with stone worktops and then with
stone sinks following an antique tradition. A further evolution has been
designing stone fronts, thus reaching a horizontal and vertical material
uniqueness. The kitchen that has been exposed for 10 years in the company’s
garden is timeless evidence of this history.
A further
valuable aspect of minotti cucine is its custom-made approach: each project is
unique, designed and manufactured to satisfy every single and exclusive need.
SILENZIO VISIVO
The surrounding noise and chaos of contemporary times has led us to a constant research of silence – visual silence that can release our mind, enhance our spirituality and place the human being at the centre of the “house project”.
In our vocabulary the void loses its negative connotation: it is not perceived as absence or lack, but rather it represents a pause, a moment of reflection in which the prevailing materialism is transcended in favour of inner space.
This philosophy manifests itself in a rigorous work of subtraction that is applied to the domestic environment. This approach does not entail any compromise and suggests a primordial concept of the living space without any unnecessary addition and whatever might distract the eye and ruin the view.
The elemental and pure, almost primitive, shapes of our kitchens result from this process and prove our integrity and spiritual force.
Every element is reduced to its minimum as to deny any human intervention on the project. Thus, handles, plinths, taps and all the redundant details of traditional design disappear, while the use of colours and materials becomes rigorous and strict.
Monolithic, monochromatic and monomaterial volumes, which are abstract and sculptural, are nonetheless objects of daily use, but they hide from view all functional elements, thus contributing to the idea of space purification at the base of our philosophy.
Our ambition is to create poetry in accordance with the principles of rationality and functionality – the bases of design and industrial culture.
Stone, wood, metal, water, fire are the depositary of our will to freeze time. The extreme minimalism combined with the use of natural materials represents a challenge to the swirling succession of ephemeral fashions and trends. Using the primordial materials and elements that nature has provided us, as well as carving time in archaic shapes, minotticucine makes its products timeless.
Differently from artificial materials, which are made by human beings and their arrogance, natural materials have the ability to “grow old” and absorb the patina of time, thus increasing their fascination and aesthetic significance. The use of this “living matter”, so far from the market consumer trends and the contemporary concept of design, represents a precise choice that doesn’t imply a limit to, or rejection of innovation. On the contrary, the effort to make these archaic materials trusted guardians of the most innovative technologies of living urges us to be always ahead of time anticipating future. This is our idea of perfection, luxury and exclusivity.
Minotticucine microcosm is free from the excess of furniture and objects, the redundancy of materials and colours, and unveils the spiritual value of the void, the endless poetry of light, the power of matter and the strength of natural elements.
It is not an aseptic and depersonalized space, but a place where the human soul is amplified, where the objectivity of design is replaced by matter and by the subjectivity of those who inhabit this place. Design leaves space to life because the human being has to become the real protagonist of domestic space, which has been invaded and suffocated by a multitude of useless objects – the end results of consumer culture.
Our design mission addresses those spirits that try to get a direction for their quest for inner order. Going back to the incipit, those who chose our product do not only buy some objects, but embrace, more or less consciously, a way of living, looking at things and approaching the world. This is why those who decide to cross the border and choose to follow our philosophy will find it difficult to go back.
In our vocabulary the void loses its negative connotation: it is not perceived as absence or lack, but rather it represents a pause, a moment of reflection in which the prevailing materialism is transcended in favour of inner space.
This philosophy manifests itself in a rigorous work of subtraction that is applied to the domestic environment. This approach does not entail any compromise and suggests a primordial concept of the living space without any unnecessary addition and whatever might distract the eye and ruin the view.
The elemental and pure, almost primitive, shapes of our kitchens result from this process and prove our integrity and spiritual force.
Every element is reduced to its minimum as to deny any human intervention on the project. Thus, handles, plinths, taps and all the redundant details of traditional design disappear, while the use of colours and materials becomes rigorous and strict.
Monolithic, monochromatic and monomaterial volumes, which are abstract and sculptural, are nonetheless objects of daily use, but they hide from view all functional elements, thus contributing to the idea of space purification at the base of our philosophy.
Our ambition is to create poetry in accordance with the principles of rationality and functionality – the bases of design and industrial culture.
Stone, wood, metal, water, fire are the depositary of our will to freeze time. The extreme minimalism combined with the use of natural materials represents a challenge to the swirling succession of ephemeral fashions and trends. Using the primordial materials and elements that nature has provided us, as well as carving time in archaic shapes, minotticucine makes its products timeless.
Differently from artificial materials, which are made by human beings and their arrogance, natural materials have the ability to “grow old” and absorb the patina of time, thus increasing their fascination and aesthetic significance. The use of this “living matter”, so far from the market consumer trends and the contemporary concept of design, represents a precise choice that doesn’t imply a limit to, or rejection of innovation. On the contrary, the effort to make these archaic materials trusted guardians of the most innovative technologies of living urges us to be always ahead of time anticipating future. This is our idea of perfection, luxury and exclusivity.
Minotticucine microcosm is free from the excess of furniture and objects, the redundancy of materials and colours, and unveils the spiritual value of the void, the endless poetry of light, the power of matter and the strength of natural elements.
It is not an aseptic and depersonalized space, but a place where the human soul is amplified, where the objectivity of design is replaced by matter and by the subjectivity of those who inhabit this place. Design leaves space to life because the human being has to become the real protagonist of domestic space, which has been invaded and suffocated by a multitude of useless objects – the end results of consumer culture.
Our design mission addresses those spirits that try to get a direction for their quest for inner order. Going back to the incipit, those who chose our product do not only buy some objects, but embrace, more or less consciously, a way of living, looking at things and approaching the world. This is why those who decide to cross the border and choose to follow our philosophy will find it difficult to go back.
MINOTTI CUCINE
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Part of the worktop is movable: when lifted up,
It displays a functional compartment hosting small
appliances.
The washing area worktop shifts and reveals the large sink.
CLAUDIO
SILVESTRIN PHILOSOPHY
I have
been educated to believe that being an architect is a vocation, just as it is a
vocation to be a priest. I have been educated to believe that architecture is
the most complete form of art, bridging man and nature, earth and sky, god and
mortals. I have believed, and still do, that architecture is composing poetry
on earth in partnership with the earth; that architecture has the role of
transmitting the emotion of matter, space, light and water. . I think the most
popular contemporary construction nowadays is the exaltation of perverse and
simplistic forms, reflecting a union that is neurotic and narcissistic,
ignoring five thousand years or more of history. Modern man feels that he is
the centre of the universe; his arrogance and vanity demand constructions that
are in fact mirrors. The powerful man and the neurotic man subconsciously
recognize themselves in the high-tech style, in sensationalist and
deconstructive architecture. One must be blind or asleep not to notice: We are
a materialistic civilisation of institutionalised, perverse forms. It is a real
disaster: The forms of contemporary construction have separated from the stars.
The clearest paradox, represented by religious buildings, is the most
saddening. these edifices are sensationalistic, self - gratifications in
reinforced concrete; they have ceased to be spaces for god and have become
places for man. It is not a matter of right or wrong but of acknowledging and
being aware of this, in order to make decisions that embody firm principles. The
contemporary architect is fortunate that he or she has the freedom of choice, a
responsible choice. One should ask: Is architecture the expression of a
deepening thought or is it a non-critical conformity? Questioning does not mean
going against evolution and progress; on the contrary, serious questioning can
bring a contribution to awaken the sensitivity of man towards an evolution that
is not only technological and materialistic but a total evolution that is
simultaneously material and spiritual, modern and archaic, anthropological and
ecological. Religious attitude living the profession of contemporary architect
in a religious manner requires a psychological trauma that is almost permanent.
To clarify, i'm not speaking of recognised and institutionalized religion, but
of a religious attitude, serious, profound, rigorous, healthy and full. A rock
against rampant corruption, with unshaken faith in onès mission and in the gift
of talent one wants to offer in order to ensure the survival of sensibility in
the world. Proposing the poetry of space with novelty and individuality leads
to uncertainty and incomprehension, and the interlocutor is caught off guard.
If for materials you propose water rather than plastic, stone rather than
glass, a void rather than unconditional exploitation of space, elegance rather
than sensationalism, the symbol rather than the captivating effect, the magic
of light rather than light as a lux quantity, a primitive sense rather than a
contemporary one. They respond: -architect, enough with poetry, nobody wants it
anymore, people don't understand it anyway! Architect, you're so old fashioned!
Architect, very nice! But the space needs to be exploited, at the price i paid
for it! Architect, you're too sophisticated! Architect, but there isn't enough
light! -architect, what are archetypes? Paradoxically the more you encounter
ignorance, lack of sensibility, arrogance, mediocrity and corruption, the
stronger the desire not to succumb to this poisoning of the spirit. It's true,
if you play the game, you can build big, have multimedia success, fame, money
and power. And there is freedom to choose, which, fortunately, every architect
or designer has today. Sure, the powerful make you pay for it, they don't allow
you to win a competition because you didn't dine with a member of the jury,
they don't give you a building permit because you don't propose what is in
vogue at the moment, they don't choose you because you're not part of their
club. I remember once at a presentation for a residential project competition
in Switzerland, the presiding professor of the jury said that my project had a
palladium flavour. I blushed from the embarrassment, from the surprise and from
the compliment. Thanks! I responded innocently. I was eliminated, because for that
swiss scholar, palladium meant italian and, therefore, not modern. At a
presentation at the landmark of New York, they told me that rather than
presenting a project with an individual and unique configuration, as the one i
proposed, i had to take inspiration from recently constructed buildings
designed by the usual big names. At a competition in which i participated in
Italy, the first seven prizes where given to seven university professors of the
same city, not one architect of national fame of international fame –
absolutely outrageous.
To defend their territory, the bosses of the various clans (including those of architects) put obstacles in your way and when you manage to build something, they prevent communication of your achievements or render them insignificant in the context of contemporary culture. My fortune is, on one hand, my faith in the meaning of my work and, on the other, my spontaneity in forgetting about the disappointments, betrayals and eliminations and looking forward, pushing ahead like an elephant, with the enthusiasm of doing and creating, albeit with the knowledge that human ingratitude knows no limits. The supreme ambition great architects and great architecture are my source of inspiration when it comes to my ethics and designs. But that is not all: essays, philosophy, poetry, even reading the newspaper can stimulate my creative thought process and my design choices. On 20th december 2004 i read an excellent article by Francesco Alberoni in Corriere Della Sera, entitled ‘a world that moves very fast but knows not how to dream'. the writer accurately observes the results that cultural relativism, Its frenzy and superficiality, have had on modern society. We might ask ourselves what this has to do with the occupation of architect. Well nothing, if we believe in tidy categorisation and we view the profession as specialist and compartmentalised. I believe however that being an architect does not mean being removed from cultural relativism, the kafkaesque machine. Indeed i believe it expresses the concept just as well as a fashion magazine or a cd that is used up and quickly forgotten. The majority of critics within the sector believe that the architect should express the culture of his time. The dogmatic architect views this media truth as absolute. Luckily for me this ‘fact' is not written in any sacred texts or in plato, and so doubting its authenticity is legitimate. Indeed i would go even further and suggest that the very task of the architect is not to express the values of cultural relativism or even his own contemporary culture. In 1927, the German Pavilion designed by Mies Van der Rohe in barcelona was a masterpiece that broke completely from the conventions of the time. A masterpiece that is still visible today, its innovative spirit certainly didn't reflect the predominant culture of its day. Alberoni talks about decadence in his article but at the same time also of hope, dreams and spirituality. The spirituality of the layman is pointless, a waste, redundant. Alberoni's conclusion should perhaps be food for thought for the designer who says ‘not me!' or for the planner who refuses to construct ‘self-expressing' perverse forms of today's sensationalism. The article concludes thus: ‘[because there is] a place where every now and then we can take shelter, purify ourselves, find some peace and come out again stronger. Without this we would slide into an intolerable abyss.' the more superficial reader may think of an exotic holiday destination, but when Alberoni talks of purification he is not talking of our bodies in terms of tired flesh and bones, or a nervous system fraught with stress, but rather the purification of the mind. Is this the supreme ambition of architecture? And why supreme? Because a purified mind puts the driving force of our inner animal desire to sleep and awakens our consciousness of the divine that exists in nature. The man-animal makes room for the man-spiritual.
CLAUDIO SILVESTRIN
Born in 1954,
Claudio Silvestrin studied under A. G. Fronzoni in Milan and at the
Architectural Association in London. His integrity, clarity of mind,
inventiveness and concern for details is reflected in his architecture: austere
but not extreme, contemporary yet timeless, calming but not ascetic, strong but
not intimidating, elegant but not ostentatious, simple but not soulless.
PRACTICE
PROFILE
Claudio
Silvestrin Architects was established in 1989 with offices in London, and since
2006 Milan also. The work of the practice encompasses real estate developments,
newly built houses and resort for private residence, art galleries and museums,
domestic and retail interiors and furniture design. Clients include Giorgio
Armani, Illy Caffe, Anish Kapoor, Calvin Klein, Poltrona Frau, Victorio Miro,
the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo for whom he has designed the museum in
Turin and the internationally acclaimed hip hop artist and producer Kanye West.
Claudio
Silvestrin Architects have completed the Victoria Miro Private Collection Space
in London and a 5.000 m2 wellness centre in South Korea. They are currently
building a new 40.000 m2 construction resort in Ceara, Brazil, including a
hotel, spa and villas. They are also building two new 20.000 m2 developments of
31 villas in Singapore as well as 25.000 m2 fashion mall in Turin, Italy. The
practice is currently working on apartments and villas in USA and Europe.
AWARDS
2011
South East Asia property Awards, Best Architectural design Sandy Island Housing
Development, Sentosa, Singapore
2011
South East Asia property Awards, Best Housing Development Sandy Island Housing
Development, Sentosa, Singapore
2009
Chicago Athenaeum ınternational Architectural Award Victoria Miro Private
Collection Space, Londra
2009
CNBC Asia – Pacific Property Awards, Best Development Sandy Island Housing
Development, Sentosa, Singapore
2008
Archip – Domus, Russia
2008
Archip – Domus, Russia Magazine award
P Penthouse, Montecarlo
2008
Best Communicator Award
La Cava, a stone installation for II Casone at Marmomacc, verona
2005
Wallpaper Magazine Design Awards
Terra Kitchen for Minotti Cucine
2005
Travel + Leisure Magazine Design Awards
Princi Bakery XXV Aprile, Milan
2005
International Award Architecture in Stone
Giorgio armani Worldwide Image
2003
Gold Medal Award for Italian Architecture at the Triennale in Milan
Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin
2003
Contract World Award and Atrib Award
Giorgio Armani Worldwide Image
