Domestica is one of the few local companies to both produce and import kitchens – how do the local and foreign offerings differ?
Various elements help make the kitchen even more social such as islands or peninsulas – these are great ways of combining the living area together with the kitchen.
They actually complement each other very well. Our factory caters for custom made furniture which one does not find readily available from imported suppliers. The combination puts us in a position to offer a complete service. For example, we often get situations where customers prefer dealing with a one-stop shop – they are happy with a Berloni kitchen and need internal doors for their home. Another example is a situation where the kitchen has an awkward angle or needs a custom cabinet to be made to finish off the kitchen. So we would get all the components from Berloni and our carpenters adjust the unit locally to complement the rest of the kitchen.
As the second generation running Domestica, what have you learned from the previous generation and what innovations have you introduced?
As the second generation we have learnt that what makes us successful is to remain close to our customers and understand the markets trends and needs – only then can we truly react fast enough to always have the latest product offerings. It is useless having a showroom with products your end customer does not want or need. Additionally, this made us realise that we also needed a state of the art showroom where we can display our products – hence the opening of our new showroom 18 months ago.
A kitchen is not just for cooking. What elements make a kitchen the heart of a home?
The kitchen is actually the most used space in a home. It brings the family together during different moments throughout the day, be it for a coffee in the morning, to help the children with their homework after school, or preparing supper and catching up on the day’s achievements.
Various elements help make the kitchen even more social such as islands or peninsulas – these are great ways of combining the living area together with the kitchen. Another favourite for a family kitchen is cleverly separating an area where kids can do their homework on a table but still be in the kitchen.
What kitchen materials are currently popular?
The materials which are doing really well this year are a combination of matt lacquered doors or matt laminate doors combined with glass tops. Having said that some materials come and go while others live on. We have been selling lacquered/ sprayed kitchen doors for over 40 years. The only difference is the presentation – for instance, while before the white-sprayed kitchen would have had a panel in the middle, today it has a flat plain surface. We have also seen an increased demand for pull out mechanisms to facilitate storage and further reduce the need to bend down for items.
What are the current kitchen trends?
Current trends propose kitchens with no handles on the door fronts, leaving a clean line throughout the kitchen. The disguised handle can come in different forms, from a smart groove routered on the side of the door panel and then for example sprayed the same colour as the door front to a stainless steel bar installed under the kitchen top, leaving a gap between the door and bottom of the counter top. Another convenient solution is creating a hidden larder – more specifically, a sliding door with all the counter top utensils neatly hidden away such as the toaster, kettle and blender.
What elements make a kitchen child-friendly?
When designing a kitchen for a family with children, one must keep in mind sharp corners. Corners come in different guises – tabletops, island tops and even on door or drawer fronts. With tabletops and island tops one can have them rounded off but with door fronts and drawer fronts rounding the corners could alter the overall design. So Berloni have come up with a child friendly solution of slightly softening the corners so that when one tests it by tapping one’s palm against the corners, the edge is not sharp.
Additionally, child friendly kitchens have an area dedicated to their daily requirements such as cereals, drinks, plastic cups and plates and the occasional temptation to chocolates. Another idea is to have an area in the kitchen for children to do their homework in – as the kitchen is the most used room, a table accessible for the kids to spread open their copy books and even do their projects on is a very valuable space.
Can style and functionality live together?
This is our daily challenge as what is practical to one member of the family might not be practical to other members of the family. But having a stylish and functional kitchen is possible. Otherwise, the kitchen would not be achieving what it is set out to be – a space to cook great food over a glass of wine with friends and family.