Cuvée by Key Cucine, a remarkable example of modern Italian kitchen design, is signed by Nevio Tellatin and Anita Brotto. It embodies the soul of custom design, a synthesis of tradition and minimalism, a luxury kitchen conceived to interpret contemporary living with sartorial refinement.
It borrows its name and spirit from the world of wine: Cuvée, the new kitchen by Key Cucine, is an art of composition, a sartorial assembly where the balance of the parts creates a superior harmony. It is the manifesto of a design that transcends function to become a synthesis of matter and thought, in the words of its very creators, designers Anita Brotto and Nevio Tellatin.
Their vision orchestrates a refined dialogue between the strength of tradition and the essential language of contemporaneity, transforming the domestic space into a stage for sensory and emotional experiences. Cuvée reveals itself not as a static formula, but as a narrative environment, conceived to tell stories and leave memories. Its essence lies in this design alchemy: a blend of creative visions, eras, materials, and sensations that defines a new canon of timeless elegance.
The Poetics of Space: The Vision of Tellatin and Brotto
To understand the soul of Cuvée, one must enter the world of its creators. Nevio Tellatin and Anita Brotto are spatial storytellers, masters of imbuing spaces with a depth that surpasses mere functionality. Their search for a poetic essentialism, already explored in projects like Haiku—where the monolithic island becomes a pure heart of marble and pewter—evolves towards an architectural approach in Tai_O, a system that defines space as a “small domestic city,” with materials that delineate functions and pathways.
If previous works were inspired by external narratives—a poem, a village—Cuvée marks a turning point, a conceptual evolution. Here, the story is not about a place or a text, but about the very act of composition: the art of the blend. It is a self-referential work that celebrates balance, matter, and thought as the absolute protagonists.
A Dialogue of Materials: Tactile Alchemies
The narrative of Cuvée comes to life through an exquisite material palette, where each element is a leading actor in a visual and tactile symphony. The stage opens with the sculptural presence of travertine, a monolithic and reassuring anchor that recalls Italy’s architectural heritage. Its organic elegance, composed of warm nuances and unrepeatable veins, defines the countertop and the integrated sink, whose stone mass achieves a surprising aerial lightness thanks to a masterful technique that barely hints at its thickness.
This earthy solidity is met by the chromatic depth of the Wood Green matte lacquer adorning the base unit doors: a choice that is a statement of style, a biophilic breath that moves the kitchen away from a clinical aesthetic, immersing it in a natural and welcoming atmosphere while offering a soft, velvety counterpoint.
But it is on the boiserie paneling and wall units that the narrative reaches its most audacious and experimental peak, with an oxidized metallic lacquer featuring an almost troweled effect. The result of an alchemical and artisanal process, each panel becomes an abstract and unrepeatable canvas, a dynamic surface that introduces a textured, sophisticated aesthetic and a touch of imperfect perfection.
Finally, weaving a common thread between these diverse material souls are the gleams of light from the brass or burnished bronze. Crafted with a minimal design, the handles are the jewels of the composition, the golden thread whose warm glow connects the warmth of the stone to the coolness of the oxidized metal, acting as a precious point of light that seals the overall balance.
Deconstructing Form: The Grammar of a Timeless Design
The secret to Cuvée’s elegance lies in its precise formal grammar. The heart of the project is the design of the cabinet door, distinguished by a slender frame. This is a sophisticated nod to classical cabinetmaking, stripped of all heaviness and reinterpreted in a minimalist key.
The frame acts as a conceptual bridge between traditional and modernist Italian kitchen design, creating an original, hybrid language. These clean geometries dialogue with the rigor of the linear handles, defining a balance of volumes and proportions that renders any further ornamentation superfluous. Designed for absolute versatility, Cuvée is conceived to integrate fluidly with adjacent living areas, responding to the contemporary vision of a convivial, borderless space.
Key Cucine: The Sartorial Soul
Cuvée encapsulates the design soul of Key Cucine, a company that since 1978 has made sartorial culture its very DNA. This approach, summarized in the motto “One by One,” translates into an artisanal attention to detail and is nourished by a rich material library—a universe of possibilities where matter transforms into domestic architectures of timeless elegance. The kitchen thus becomes the most mature expression of this philosophy, a perfect synthesis between the manufacturer’s heritage and the designers’ vision.
Cuvée presents itself as the grammar of a style destined to endure. It sensitively interprets the contemporary demand for spaces that are social and sensory hubs, rich with natural materials capable of offering tactile stimulation in an increasingly digital age. It is proof of a modernity that, as the company motto “Modern Always” suggests, knows how to innovate without ever betraying its history, defining a sophisticated vision of the future.