Italy-based design studio Valcucine is looking for ten wannabe designers to help add sustainable modifications to its 'Meccanica' kitchen concept. During Milan Design Week, Valcucine will convert its showroom into a collaborative design studio, in an initiative dubbed the 'Kitchen Becomes Open!' project. Budding designers will work together with a team of experts to develop ideas that could become freely available for open-source modification and distribution.
The Meccanica kitchen concept revolves around an emphasis on sustainability, as shown by its use of 100% recyclable iron and plywood. All structural elements are held together using mechanical joints, meaning there is no glue involved. This means the kitchen can be taken apart and re-assembled with 80% able to be reused.
Valcucine's Communications Manager Daniele Prosdocimo says that, "the meeting of these people from different countries with different experiences and profiles will create the energy and synergy to surprise."
Crowdsourced Kitchen Designs
Valcucine Wants the Public to Help with its Latest Kitchen Design
Trend Themes
1. Crowdsourcing Design - Valcucine's 'Kitchen Becomes Open!' project demonstrates the trend of crowdsourcing design ideas for collaborative and sustainable kitchen concepts.
2. Sustainable Materials - The emphasis on sustainability in the Meccanica kitchen concept highlights the trend of using recyclable and reusable materials in kitchen design.
3. Open-source Modification - The idea of making design ideas freely available for open-source modification and distribution reflects the trend of embracing open-source collaboration in the kitchen industry.
Industry Implications
1. Design Studios - Design studios can explore the disruptive innovation opportunities in incorporating crowdsourcing and sustainable materials into their kitchen design projects.
2. Kitchen Manufacturing - Kitchen manufacturers can consider adopting open-source modification strategies to encourage community-driven innovation in their product development process.
3. Sustainable Architecture - Sustainable architecture firms can find inspiration in the Meccanica kitchen concept's focus on recyclable materials and mechanical joints for creating eco-friendly kitchen designs.