Chef Oldani, a culinary maestro renowned for his creative flair and unwavering dedication to culinary excellence, collaborated with ARAN Cucine, a leading name in Italian kitchen craftsmanship, to redefine the boundaries of kitchen design.
From infusing professional culinary expertise into everyday kitchen spaces to meticulously enhancing user experience, Chef Davide Oldani offers a glimpse into his innovative approach to kitchen design. Partnering with ARAN Cucine, a revered name in the kitchen manufacturing industry, Chef Oldani’s collaboration has been instrumental in shaping cutting-edge kitchen solutions. With ARAN Cucine‘s recent accolades, including the prestigious ADI Design Golden Compass, and their commitment to introducing novel concepts in kitchen design, Chef Oldani shares his vision for revolutionizing culinary spaces and redefining the art of cooking at home. In this exclusive interview, we discuss the future of kitchen design with Chef Oldani.
ArchiExpo e-Magazine: Can you tell us about your collaboration with ARAN Cucine?
Chef Oldani: I love working in a kitchen that has everything in the right place, so I designed every element in my restaurant—the cutlery, tables, chairs, and lamps. I also designed the layout of the kitchen. When the team at ARAN Cucine called me to commission the design of a kitchen for the brand, I decided it was the right time to put my name on a signature kitchen. I spoke with Mr. Rastelli and his daughter and asked them to do something new by translating the industrial kitchen we find in restaurants to the home kitchen, from professional to personal. Although the kitchen has to be nice, it has to be practical. It’s why I accept to work with Aran Cucina. In CUCINAnD’O, the table has a small space underneath where users can place their telephones, keys, and whatever else they have to leave the table free for eating. Today, people place everything on the table. For me, it’s disrespectful for the kitchen, for the chef, and for the food.
READ our article “EuroCucina 2024: Where Tradition Meets Innovation“.
ArchiExpo e-Magazine: What’s the concept behind your signature kitchen?
Chef Oldani: I took the idea from the old table at the school. In Italy, we used to have a desk like a table under which we’d store books and objects. Once we finished a lesson, we’d remove the book from our desktop and place it underneath, then we’d take out the new one and place it on top. Just to be free and remain concentrated during our lessons, you know. And this is the reason why I designed the table.
ArchiExpo e-Magazine: What else is different about the table design included in the kitchen?
Chef Oldani: Overall, I designed the table in my restaurant to be 82 centimeters in height instead of the typical 72 or 74. It’s important to allow our bodies to begin the digestion process as we’re eating and not at the end, 2 to 4 hours later when you finally stand up. This is not good for the human body, and it’s the reason I decided to design the height of the table to reach 80 and 82 centimeters.
ArchiExpo e-Magazine: What elements of your culinary philosophy inspired the kitchen design?
Chef Oldani: In my signature kitchen design, you’ll find two ovens. Usually in a normal kitchen when you open the oven you take out the cake. You take out your cake, it’s hot and you never know where to leave it. Or you put it on the table or wherever you can find a spot. You’ll probably damage the countertop where you set the hot cake. It’s why I designed, close to the oven, a space where you can place your cake or lasagna, or whatever dish, once you’ve removed it from the oven, and you can leave it there.
ArchiExpo e-Magazine: What do you think is in store for the future of kitchen design?
Chef Oldani: In the future, homes will become smaller, and people will reserve less space for the kitchen. Perhaps it’s because they view cooking as a waste of time and they don’t want to lose time. There are two options I believe: Either people will begin relying more heavily on restaurants to serve food to their homes or they’ll return to the past when people worked less and spent more time in the kitchen. Today, people are so busy with social media and going, going, going. This isn’t living, in my opinion. I hope people return to the basics and spend time cooking. The kitchen is the most important place in the house.
