The annual selection of the ADI Design Index 2024 was presented on October 30 at the ADI Design Museum in Milan, conducted by the ADI Permanent Design Observatory, a group of over 100 specialists (designers, researchers, sector journalists) who work through the ADI territorial delegations throughout Italy to report the best design products, which opens the path to the next Compasso d'Oro award in 2026. A total of 241 products and services were selected in various categories by ADI: furnishings and accessories for the home (including wall and floor coverings), domestic and public lighting, design for mobility, design for work, materials and technological systems for architecture, Exhibition Design, up to the projects of students of the Italian university design schools in the Targa Giovani section. In the review below a focus on the coverings, appliances, accessories dedicated to the kitchen world included in the ADI selection.
ABET LAMINATI
Mare Nostrum is a collection of decorations by Abet Laminati (designer Matteo Ragni) celebratING the sea, a symbol of vitality and biodiversity, an element that laps the coasts of all continents and keeps them united and connected to each other. It formally takes inspiration from fish and wave motion to recreate abstract and geometric patterns. The collection is made up of 6 patterns made in digital printing (Fetch, Islands, Octopus, Net, Papersail, Shark), each in turn declined in 4 colors that recall the natural shades of the sea and the earth. The decorations of the collection are characterized by a core made of Re-Abet, a product consisting of 100% recycled kraft paper.
AEG
The AEG 9000 Series Touchsure glass-ceramic gas hob (designed by Roberto Manzari - Electrolux Design Center) features an electronic control that allows to adjust the flame, set the end-of-cooking timer and pause mode, which automatically reduces the flame level to a minimum. The extractor hood adjustment is automatic. It is equipped with safety systems including automatic flame shutdown, child lock and residual heat indicator. The burners are up to 20% more efficient than traditional ones and allow the simultaneous use of large pans and pots. The black glass-ceramic surface is resistant to thermal shock and, thanks also to the absence of knobs, makes cleaning easier. The cast iron grids are individual elements that are easily removable, but offer maximum stability to the pans.
ALESSI
Convivio is the Alessi line of pots, pans, saucepans and kitchen tools born from the collaboration between a designer (David Chipperfield) and a starred chef (Pietro Leeman). Universal but particularly suitable for cooking vegetables and legumes, it puts the material at the centre. The set combines the quality and functional characteristics of professional kitchen tools with an accurate design, studied to give the best on the stove but also to serve and present food at the table. The sturdy cast metal handles guarantee a secure grip and good thermal insulation. The rounded bottom of the body of pots and pans facilitates the release of liquids and cleaning. The series is also completed by accessories, including a steaming basket and an adjustable wooden lid (otoshibuta), inspired by traditional solutions from other cultures.
ARPA INDUSTRIALE
Tuet is the first deep surface for interiors launched by Arpa Industriale (design Arpa Industriale). It draws inspiration from the Piedmontese marsh reeds that line the Tanaro river, emphasizing the contrast of chiaroscuro with a reeded surface, whose three-dimensionality ranges from a minimum of 1.5 millimeters to cusps that reach 2 millimeters. The light transforms the furniture to which the decoration is applied into a suggestive composition, characterized by lights and shadows that vary according to the time of day. The wood grain also offers a multifaceted tactile experience, combining a soft touch with a pleasant wavy sensation.
CERAMICA DEL CONCA
Marble Edition, produced with the exclusive Dinamika technology, developed internally in the laboratories of Ceramica del Conca Spa, is a collection of large-format surfaces in marble-effect ceramic slabs. It includes four surfaces with a strictly natural appearance and tactile materiality that reflect a set of artisanal processes generally applied to marble after extraction from the quarry.
GESSI
Vita Gessi (design Gessi Design Studio) is a multifunctional and ergonomic kitchen mixer tap that can provide filtered, room temperature, cold, sparkling or hot water (100°C). It features an intuitive digital interface, with a dynamic selector and a colored display that shows the icons of the different types of water, allowing to select them by rotating. An external ring connected to the home wi-fi allows voice control via the Alexa assistant and Google devices. It helps reduce the use of plastic and save water and energy. Particular attention has been paid to the product life cycle, through the sustainable management of the consumables used for operation.
The Madia 36E8 by Lago (designed by Daniele Lago) is a modular piece of furniture in which the glass of the supports enhances the lightness, while the surfaces of the fronts offer surprising reflections. The contrast of colors and materials gives dynamism to the environment. The 45° construction with aluminum filigree guarantees its quality. The containers, suspended on glass, become destructured volumes that seem to float in the air. Each different composition is subjected to static testing to ensure safety. It allows the creation of new shapes and new combinations of materials and colors and also uses a process (XGlass) that allows the reinterpretation of various materials, from marble to wood, to metals, transferring the image onto glass of reduced thickness but great resistance.
SAMBONET
Neutra is a cutlery set by Sambonet (designed by Sambonet style centre) that takes its name from a series preserved in the Sambonet archive, from which the design started to conceive new proportions and profiles. The result is a completely new collection that, like the previous one, respects traditional practicality and versatility and retains the evident stylistic references of the first project to the Nordic style and formal rationalisation that have characterised Italian design since the 1950s. A special treatment (PVD, Physical Vapour Deposition) is applied during production, which gives the steel objects colours and shades. The coating is welded at an atomic level to the stainless steel, also making it harder and more resistant.
SIMMI
Competing for the Targa Giovani is Simmi, a kitchen mixer that automates long preparations designed by Paolo Massacci, a student at the Polytechnic University of Milan. It responds to the needs of the younger generations: taste for food but little time and little space for gastronomic operations. Placed on pots of various sizes (from 20 to 24 centimeters in diameter), it allows to place the raw materials for the preparation in a tank, program the mixing and cooking operations with a single knob, add ingredients through a special opening and measure the necessary water. The device takes care of the preparation autonomously, leaving the user free to dedicate themselves to other tasks, while an interface signals the status of the operations and any emergency situations.
