“Design… is an expression of the capability of the human mind to step beyond,” George Nelson wrote in 1957 in his well-known reference work “The Problems of Design”. Nelson was a visionary, who appealed to the imagination of designers and who claimed that design should be free to express itself in all matters. The +ARTESIO kitchen concept embodies such a high degree of freedom – it questions the hitherto customary limits in room architecture, yet dissolves them at the same time. The inspiration for this kitchen concept is no less than a newly defined unity of kitchen furniture and room architecture and was envisioned by its designer Hadi Teherani as a seamless architectural fusion of walls, floor and ceiling into one open space without clear divides. This idea of complete unity is at the core of this new understanding of a kitchen, a design approach that defines itself also as “a gesture into the room”. Design details of this seamless transition are perfectly matched shelves and glass display cases as well as an innovative ceiling element that integrates all the elements needed for functions such as audio, extractor hood, air conditioning and also power feed. Other carefully selected aspects complementing this new kitchen concept include durable high-quality materials such as melamine, solid wood, and lacquered glass. In a highly inspired design gesture, the +ARTESIO kitchen concept thus merges the disciplines of furniture design and room architecture – a visionary manifestation of the possibilities in design.
Statement by the Jury
For this interplay between architecture and design as well as the excellent quality of the materials used for the +ARTESIO kitchen by manufacturer Poggenpohl, the jury awarded the highest possible prize in the award competition. With the +ARTESIO concept, architect Hadi Teherani developed a kitchen that does not only link and merge furniture design with interior design into an open concept, but which creates a perceptional space that goes far beyond the familiar conceptions of open living space and traditional kitchen environment. This kind of uncompromising design approach is also reflected in the use of high-quality materials and highly consistent implementation.
