Design and fashion meet in a limited edition of cooking blocks: a new interpretation of the iconic Officine Gullo kitchens in a brand new and original version by Aquazzura.
The two brands, in fact, continue on the journey that unites their artistic souls, creating a capsule collection of hand-decorated freestanding kitchens characterized by creativity, art and design.
Aquazzura Brings the Extraordinary
The cooking blocks have been made and decorated entirely by hand in the Gullo “workshops” taking up the design created by Edgardo Osorio, Founder and Artistic Director of the luxury footwear brand Aquazzura: an exotic motif characterized by flowers and animals from distant lands.
“I wanted to create a kitchen that would perfectly complement our Home Collection and be one of a kind. We worked together with Italian hand-decorating artists, transforming an everyday object into something extraordinary,” comments Edgardo Osorio.
The precious metals of the cooking blocks, offered in pastel pink and green tones, are thus combined with the designs finely crafted by skilled artisans, transforming the kitchens into true works of art.
The Beauty and Craftsmanship of Officine Gullo
Andrea Gullo, Managing Director of Officine Gullo comments, “We have been thinking for a long time about a personalized, hand-decorated collection that would make our kitchens even more unique. Our customers love the singularity and the possibility of customizing each kitchen design in terms of sizes, colors and finishes. With this capsule collection we have taken a step further, the kitchen is no longer just a design artifact, but becomes a true artistic work, a one-of-a-kind creation designed exclusively for its owner. It is exactly the opposite of what is achieved in mass production.”
Belonging to two different sectors, that of design and fashion, the two brands share common values in a constant search for beauty and perfection of details in the hallmarks of Florentine craftsmanship.
“After our initial acquaintance,” Andrea Gullo continues, “we felt the desire to deepen this collaboration by daring further, playing with shapes and colors to create something different, fresh. I was fascinated by Aquazzura’s decors and the imagery they evoke, linked to the exotic, to the irresistible allure of distant lands and cultures. Suggestions that inspired great European painters of the late 19th century such as Gauguin, or served as the backdrop for the novels of Salgari and Conrad. They remind me of those ‘chinoiserie’ motifs that adorn the interiors of many aristocratic villas in northern Italy with their elegant wallpapers and lavish wooden carvings.”
The Decorative Technique
From here, Officine Gullo studied how to technically make Aquazzura’s decoration so that it could remain unchanged over time, enduring hot temperatures from ovens and stoves.
The design is decorated entirely by hand with acrylic tempera for fine arts and painted with specific protectors. The paint is slightly raised to the touch, reminding us even more of how art is intrinsically connected to this project, in which the kitchen lends itself to being an exclusive canvas for decoration.