Timeless Italian kitchen styles are reemerging in luxury homes, featuring bold colors, artisanal craftsmanship, and modern cooking technologies. Italian appliance brands like Verona, ILVE, and Bertazzoni offer ranges, ovens, and cooktops in over 200 colors with updated safety features. Custom kitchen designer Officine Gullo USA handcrafts kitchen elements in brass for uniquely personalized kitchens inspired by Renaissance artisans. While emphasizing tradition, these Italian brands also incorporate modern conveniences like steam cooking and induction technology to suit evolving tastes. Overall, the Italian style kitchen continues to be prized for its blend of heritage design and high performance cooking appliances.

1. 8 9THE HIGH END THE HIGH END
director of sales and marketing for Verona and
ILVE explains, “That unique aesthetic is not
seen as much in American-made appliances.
It’s not as industrial looking; it has really nice
curves to it. They’re really pretty. They’re not
just pretty, they cook really well too.” Expand-
ing on the furniture look, ILVE offers options
for the legs on their ranges, including brass,
Timeless Italian styles are reemerging in gourmet kitchens,
showcasing bold new colors, artisan craftsmanship, cutting-edge
cooking options and updated safety features.
By Stacey Staum
An emerging trend in luxury kitchen design
is the use of traditional Italian kitchen styles,
updated to meet the needs of the 21st century
family. In deference to the traditions of Italy, cur-
rent gourmet kitchen trends reflect Old World
design styles of the Italian countryside, with a
modern pop of color and top-quality features.
The use of vibrant color on classic appli-
ances has become a defining characteristic of
this style. Verona and ILVE, imported exclusive-
ly by EuroChef, are two Italian companies that
have gained a reputation for their use of color
on cooking appliances. Verona, the entry-level
luxury brand, is offered in five or six colors.
The ILVE line boasts 220 colors from which
to choose.
Bertazzoni also offers bold
colors on its classic-style ranges.
With six color selections in the
United States, the super glossy
finish on its Professional Series
sets the brand apart, created
with automobile paint used for
luxury cars and motorbikes in the
Modena district.
Ricardo Moreas of Officine
Gullo USA incorporates additional
color into his custom-built kitch-
ens through the inspired use of
accent materials, explaining, “the
metal trim dresses up the whole
look of the products, which can be
done in a variety of chromes and
colors. In addition to that, we also
incorporate some wood elements
when people want something that will warm
up the kitchen.”
Part of the beauty of these Italian-style
appliances is the double oven in a stand-alone
appliance, as opposed to the more common
built-in double wall oven, making the cooking
appliance look more like a piece of furniture
than merely a cooking device. Melissa Haber,
design
For many families, the kitchen is the
heart of the home. More than just a
place to cook food, the kitchen is where
memories are created and traditions
are sustained. With the holiday season
upon us, the kitchen becomes even
more important, as holiday meals are
prepared and families share extra time
together.
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2. 10 11THE HIGH END THE HIGH END
chrome or bronze decorative, to match the
modern or transitional styles of the kitchen.
The custom kitchens built by Officine
Gullo USA have been referred to as “living
sculptures” because of their unique artistic
style. “I think beginning from the fact that it’s
handmade and custom-made for each client,
each item in the kitchen is cast by hand in
solid brass. They are an expression of the per-
son’s taste and uniqueness. If someone wants
a completely new dimension or customization,
it’s built for them, built for their needs, tastes
and desires,” says Moreas.
Citing the styles of Florence as the major
influences on Officine Gullo USA’s design style,
Moreas continues, “Ancient sculptors like Mi-
chelangelo even casted in metals, so we use
this as an inspiration. After three generations of
doing this, we still use the ancient techniques
for metalwork that make it unique and special
in every way.” By using artisan methods, Of-
ficine Gullo USA achieves a traditionally styled
cooking device that functions as art.
Valetina Bertazzoni describes Bertazzoni’s
appliance style as aesthetic and functional. She
explains, “The use of an avant-garde appliance
coordinated with elegance and substance in the
kitchen is becoming more and more important.
We see this as the synchronicity design para-
digm. It’s the idea of ‘as well as’ rather than
‘either or.’ Consumers no longer have to decide
between a kitchen range only, or a cooktop
with wall ovens. They can choose elements
that work in synchronicity with one another,
and they can choose to customize the kitchen
to fit their lifestyle, which may mean a modern
kitchen will include a range and a steam oven.”
When it comes to choosing cooking op-
tions, availability of features is of paramount
importance. What features are most important
varies widely from company to company and
reflects each establishment’s unique outlook.
Bertazzoni offers features like steam cook-
ing and other non-traditional cooking surfaces
as cooking tastes evolve. Bertazzoni explains,
“Cooking culture moves relatively slowly, com-
pared to other sectors. Cooking is definitively
more related to tradition and habits, and our
tastes rely very much on our memory. It will
take time before these technologies will reach
the same popularity as, for example, gas cook-
ing.” The company continues to offer modern
technologies as the tastes and health concerns
of consumers evolve over time.
Officine Gullo USA offers a wide variety
of professional-grade equipment, providing
the highest BTU output available in residential
kitchens. The company incorporates blast chill-
ers, vacuum packing machines, steamers, inte-
grated coffee machines and any other appliance
that a home chef might need in the kitchen.
On the opposite end of that spectrum,
Verona and ILVE stick to more traditional meth-
ods. “We have modern upgrades, but for us,
the less electronics, the better. We believe
more in Old World cooking: really great con-
vection stands and really powerful ovens.”
While Verona and ILVE stick to more tra-
ditional cooking styles, safety upgrades are of
the highest importance, as they have modern
flame failure safety devices that shut off the gas
when the pilot goes out, and ignition delay that
prevent little hands from turning on the stove
when children are unattended.
Bertazonni also places a high premium
on safety. “One of Bertazzoni’s pillars is fam-
ily, so safety is very important. Among many
safety features, our latest is the Induction range
which is universally friendly to all ages for its
cool-to-the-touch cooktop,” she says.
With this focus on safety, top-of-the-line
craftsmanship and an enduring aesthetic, the
Italian-style kitchen continues to be the model
for luxury in the high-end kitchen market.
Above: The versatile size of this Bertazzoni Pro Series induction
range works just as well in a new kitchen design or with existing
cabinetry. The beautiful smooth cooktop includes four induction
heating zones including a booster feature, pan detection system
and residual heat indicator for each zone. The electric self-
cleaning oven has nine functions, including convection, baking,
roasting and warming, and features telescopic glide shelves.
Below: The Verona Classic 36-inch professional range series boasts
clean, refined lines and elegantly shaped controls. Offered in three
colors, including stainless steel, matte black, and gloss red, the Verona
Classic models feature a sleek plinth leg, matching colored control
panel and exquisite beveled front doors, plus robust stainless handles
and handrail. The elegantly shaped controls add a unique look and ergo-
nomic feel that is certain to become a trademark of fine cooking.
ChristineDonnerDesigns/©NancyElizabethPhotography
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Below: This 48-inch ILVE blue/brass dual fuel range with up to seven semi-
sealed burners and a multi-function European convection oven and standard
electric oven offers two rotisseries and a full-width warming drawer as
standard features. A French Top and removable griddle are also available.
Above: The ILVE Techno 30-inch dual fuel range or all gas range boasts five
semi-sealed burners including a dual triple-ring center burner. A multi-
function European convection oven, rotisserie and full-width warming drawer
are standard features.
©2014BertazzoniSpA