Dante Chester, Managing Director of Cesar, outlines the brand’s commitment to pushing boundaries and the infinite opportunities for customisation with the aid of technology.
25 July 2024
To not only survive but also thrive in the competitive kitchen industry for more than half a century speaks volumes about Cesar’s relentless commitment to innovation and evolving market needs. From its earliest success of building modular kitchen units to incorporating cutting-edge technology today, user comfort and wellbeing remain a cornerstone of all its kitchen designs.
Fluidity, material and colour cohere in Cesar’s products, and these were heavily highlighted at a Milan Design Week 2024 showcase created in collaboration with the Garcia Cumini studio. Instead of unveiling yet another kitchen design collection, Cesar explored the possibilities of surface finishes offered by technological advancement. Dante Chester, Managing Director of Cesar, shares more about this new direction, the showcase’s concept and Cesar’s pursuit for innovation.
The advanced exploration of material was the focal point of Cesar’s collaboration with the Garcia Cumini studio. How was this translated into product development and showcased at Milan Design Week 2024?
Cesar’s vision for research and development lies in pioneering original finishes through technological innovation. ORAMA, meaning ‘vision’ in Greek, embodies this philosophy, recognising finishes as integral to interior design, influenced by architectural style, context, functional needs and personal preference.
This concept is integrated into our product development, resulting in two of our newest creations presented at Milan Design Week 2024. Nuance is a new finish that uses abstract visual language to portray shades of colour on glass. Meanwhile, Wonder Landscape is the first instalment of the Utopian Gardens project by Garcia Cumini, which is a collection of decorations created using the innovative MVi Inalco technology, featuring environments that exalt beauty, in which intimacy, imagination and nature are freely interpreted.
We’ve also updated our flagship store for the occasion including a captivating multimedia installation showcasing ORAMA, Cesar’s innovative approach to finishes. The installation consisted of a large volume the size of a kitchen island clad in LED panels that reproduce a video project curated by Matteo Cherubino, establishing a visual dialogue between the monitors and the monolith. Set in an evocative atmosphere and narrated by Garcia Cumini’s artistic direction, the installation encourages spectators to reflect on the various finishes and the relationship that is created between colour, texture, shape and space. This initiative is tailored to assist designers and clients in finding the perfect match for both the atmosphere of the space to be furnished and the lifestyle of its occupants.
A new glass finish – Nuance – was introduced and presented as a worktop at Milan Design Week. It showcases a dynamic use of colour on glass, but how durable is this material when used as a worktop?
Presented as a worktop on Tangram’s asymmetrical island, Nuance is made from tempered glass and the material has exceptional hardness and impact-resistance, achieved through a tempering process. This process involves heating the glass to high temperatures (650 degrees celsius) and then rapidly cooling it with jets of air. This treatment significantly enhances the durability and strength of the glass, making it an ideal material for use as a worktop, capable of withstanding daily wear and tear in a kitchen environment.
The Wonder Landscape instalment is a photorealistic artistry of flora and fauna printed on framed doors with the support of cutting-edge AI technology. Can you tell us more about this innovative approach and how you see it being adopted in actual design projects?
Wonder Landscape portrays a dreamlike landscape printed on the N_Elle kitchen island doors as seen at Milan Design Week this year using MVi Inalco (Minerals, Vitrified, innovation). The revolutionary production process involves the high-temperature fusion of the purest mineral powders to the glass surface via a digitally controlled process, ensuring long-lasting permanence. This system allows for projects with rich chromatic depth, offering a recyclable surface of high value with textures that enhance depth and naturalness, visually and tactilely.
Will Cesar adopt more AI technology in its kitchen design and manufacturing?
To date, the Wonder Landscape of the Utopian Garden project is the first image studied by Garcia Cumini that has been created using artificial intelligence. Currently, we are evaluating the market’s response and working with our research and development offices, artistic direction and marketing department to determine how we can evolve and bring added value to our continuous offerings and research through the use of AI.
It seems that Cesar is constantly striving for original and innovative kitchen design solutions. What can we look forward to next?
The guidelines that drive research at Cesar are the wellbeing of people and self-awareness, along with our need to have a part of the home where we can not only cook but also welcome, experiment, socialise, and take care of ourselves and the people we love to surround ourselves with. Even though different cultural habits around the world make this sociality very personal, we can find a coordinated, timeless style through design, in deep dialogue with the world. The new projects, which will expand from the kitchen to the dining and living areas, will be inspired by these guidelines.
Cesar is available in Singapore at XTRA
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