Kitchen innovations: 4 ideas for a home that stands out

Most people come to us knowing what they want to change: more space, fewer things on the worktop, a home that feels like them. What they often do not know is that there are solutions they have not seen in a standard kitchen. We design the kitchen with you, and often the whole home, with the help of 17 curated brands: 10 Italian houses and 7 specialist partners.

We chose four ideas. They are not accessories added at the end. They are decisions that affect the cabinet, the supply, the floor plan or the renovation phase, and that is why they need to go into the design early.

1. One tap, six types of water: Franke Mythos Water Hub

Think about what sits today on your worktop or inside your cabinet: the kettle, the filter jug, the bottled water, the device for sparkling water. The Franke Mythos Water Hub replaces them with a single mixer tap. The Franke, of Swiss origin since 1911, delivers from the same tap six water options:

• Four filtered from the left button: boiling at 100 °C, cold, room temperature and sparkling, with adjustable carbonation.
• Two tap waters from the right lever: hot and cold, as with any mixer tap.

The real work happens under the sink. The boiler, the chiller, the filter and the CO2 bottle sit in a box measuring 440 × 200 × 525 mm. This means the decision is not only about the tap: you need space in the sink cabinet, a 220–240 V socket and a water supply, as well as easy access to change the filter, which is done every 1,700 litres or 12 months. We plan for these in the drawings before the works begin.

The boiling water has separate control from the tap water, and from the Franke Home app you activate the child lock. The Water Hub received the Red Dot «Best of the Best» in 2024. It is not installed in the showroom; we present it to you with videos and catalogues. All the functions and technical details are on the Water Hub page.

2. The island that curves: Pedini Arkè Shape Canapa

Most islands are rectangular boxes with a rounded edge. The Pedini Arkè Shape does something different: it curves the body of the furniture itself, with curved bases, as well as curved wall units and columns. It is available only in lacquer.

The composition Arkè Shape Canapa shows where this idea leads:

• S-shaped island, with fluted doors in matt Canapa 6401 lacquer.
• Curved snack bar in Rovere Carbone oak, following the curve of the island.
• Tall columns in the same dark oak, keeping the storage behind the form.

The difference shows in the door: even the cabinet leaf bends together with the island, and the fluting follows the curve. Because the curve defines the flow of the whole space, it goes into the design first. In detail, with the finishes and when it suits a home, we explain the idea in the article on the curved kitchen island. If you are thinking about an island for the first time, start with the guide to the kitchen with an island.

3. The door that vanishes into the wall: Barausse Secret

In a corridor with many doors, every frame and every architrave breaks the surface of the wall. In the Secret system from Barausse the frame is built into the wall and the door aligns with the surface: without architraves and without interruption. Its face is chosen freely: the same as the wall, in contrast, or as the star.

• Concealed hinges Simonswerk hinges, adjustable on three axes, carrying up to 75 kg.
• Certified sound insulation up to 37 dB.
• From floor to ceiling (filosoffitto version), for openings exceeding 3.5 metres.

In Secret Twin the frame has two parts: the first is built in during the construction phase and the second, with the finish, is fitted only when plastering and painting are complete. The final surface does not spend a single day on the building site, and the finish can be changed later without a new frame. That is why it is a decision for the renovation phase, not the last week.

4. An island in the middle of the walk-in: GF Interiors Duke Island

The idea that makes the island the centre of the kitchen works in the wardrobe too. The GF Interiors Duke Island stands free in the centre of the walk-in and has:

• drawers and glass-front units on both sides,
• a glass top in Extra Clear, Fumé or Bronzo,
• sliding trays with a brake under the glass, for jewellery.

It is also available as Demi Duke and Open Duke, for spaces that cannot take a full island. In one of the compositions, the trays are in Bordeaux eco-leather over matt Sahara BG lacquer. The walk-in stops being a wardrobe with doors and becomes a room, with the island providing storage in the centre of the space. See more models on the page for the GF Interiors walk-in and in the guide to wardrobes and walk-ins.

And the hob that disappears

There is also a fifth idea, which has its own article: Invisacook means an induction hob under a 12–20 mm porcelain or sintered stone worktop, and the Falmec Level Invisible is an extractor hood that descends into the worktop. When you are not cooking, neither hob nor extractor hood is visible. We confirm the compatibility of the combination in the design study of each kitchen. What is decided early, in the article on the invisible cooking zone.

Why kitchen innovations go into the design from day one

All four share the same characteristic: they are not «added» at the end.

• The Water Hub needs space, a socket and a supply under the sink.
• The Arkè Shape needs the whole floor plan designed around the curve.
• The Secret needs its frame before the finishes.
• The Duke Island needs the right clearance around it.

That’s why we follow the same path on every project: visit, design, moodboard, quotation, installation, after-sales. You see your future home before you invest, and every appointment at the showroom is personal, one at a time.

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