Category: interior tips

Beyond the Kitchen: Novamobili, Archeda, and Ronda Design at Milan 2026

Italian design news isn’t only about kitchens. This year, three brands working in storage, bathroom furniture, and sculptural metalwork all used Milan Design Week and its surrounding events to show how much room for innovation still exists outside the kitchen itself.

Novamobili: Living Beyond the Surface

For Milan Design Week 2026, storage and living specialist Novamobili unveiled “Living Beyond the Surface. Where Design Becomes Expression” at its flagship store in Milan’s Portanuova district — an installation built around the relationship between matter, light, and transparency.

Novamobili Milan Design Week 2026 installation
Novamobili’s “Living Beyond the Surface” installation at its Milan flagship store. Photo courtesy of Novamobili.

New product news backed up the concept. Velia introduces transparent storage units in aluminum and glass, while the modular Box 18 system gains curved modules and new vertical elements for more architectural, customizable compositions. The collection is rounded out by the Hashi table from designer Matteo Zorzenoni, the modular Kiri sofa by egg-s, open Rail storage units, and new versions of the Agel seating collection. A recurring material note across the installation was the Vibra panel, a three-dimensional slatted surface that brings rhythm and depth to a room.

Material innovation was a real focus, too: natural marble in new warm tones, an engineered stone-look surface called Eternastone, and a lightweight ceramic surface dubbed Light Stone. On the sustainability side, Novamobili introduced a Bio water-based lacquer made with renewable plant resins, aimed at cutting VOC emissions and improving indoor air quality — alongside veneers and wood finishes sourced from certified, recycled supply chains.

Archeda: A Milestone Year for the Tulle Collection

Italian bathroom furniture brand Archeda marks its 30th anniversary in 2026, and it’s using the occasion to expand one of its signature lines. The Tulle collection now includes new curved end units, softening the system’s geometry with fluid, continuous lines in place of rigid corners.

Archeda Tulle bathroom collection curved end units 2026
Archeda’s Tulle collection with new curved end units, marking the brand’s 30th anniversary. Photo courtesy of Archeda.

The technical highlight is a curved end unit with a triple-opening option — offered in both an inward-opening version, which eliminates lateral bulk near walls or fixtures, and an outward-opening version for easier, more direct access to storage. It’s a case of turning a purely functional requirement into a genuine design feature. The new pieces debut in a Tulle composition finished in Rigato Bianco Opaco, paired with a Tecnoril top with integrated basin, the Raggio mirror with perimeter lighting, and the LUX lamp — a full, coordinated bathroom scheme rather than a single standalone update.

Ronda Design: A First-Time Move to the Heart of Milan

After ten years exhibiting at Fiera Milano Rho, metal and magnetic-furniture specialist Ronda Design made a deliberate change for 2026: stepping into the city center itself, joining FOCO by Archiproducts for a more open, informal Fuorisalone presence.

Ronda Design Fuorisalone 2026 FOCO installation
Ronda Design’s installation at FOCO by Archiproducts, Fuorisalone 2026. Photo courtesy of Ronda Design.

The centerpiece was Magnetika, Ronda Design’s modular magnetic wall system, shown in a configuration enriched with new Gelosia lighting modules that turn light into part of the composition itself, alongside the Linearetta shelf with integrated LED. The brand’s well-loved Levia bookcase also appeared in its backlit Levia LED version, using integrated lighting to turn a simple shelving piece into a genuine focal point. Rounding things out, the Jupe table introduced new back-lacquered glass finishes designed to catch and reflect light differently depending on the room and the angle.

The location shift wasn’t incidental — Ronda Design described it as a chance to connect with architects and designers in a more direct, conversational setting, and the FOCO installation will remain open through January 2027 for anyone who wants a slower look.

Why It’s Worth Watching

Storage, bathroom furniture, and architectural metalwork rarely get the spotlight kitchens do, but all three of these brands are using material innovation — glass, ceramic, backlit metal — to do real design work rather than simply decorate. If you’re planning a renovation that extends past the kitchen itself, these are useful names to have on your radar.

Thinking beyond the kitchen for your next project? Book a consultation with our design team — or Get a Quote to get started.

Small Kitchen Storage: 8 Smart Cabinet Solutions

A small kitchen doesn’t have to feel cramped — it just has to be smart. The difference between a compact kitchen that frustrates you daily and one that works beautifully almost always comes down to the cabinets: not how many you have, but how hard each one works.

The good news is that the same footprint can hold far more when every cabinet earns its keep. Here are eight cabinet solutions that turn wasted inches into real, usable storage, so your small kitchen feels like it doubled in size without moving a single wall.

1. Go Vertical with Full-Height Cabinets

The most overlooked space in any small kitchen is the air above your head. Cabinets that run all the way to the ceiling reclaim that dead zone for the things you reach for less often — special-occasion platters, seasonal items, backup supplies. As a bonus, they create a clean, built-in look and eliminate the dust-collecting gap on top.

2. Swap Lower Cabinets for Deep Drawers

Deep pot-and-pan drawers are one of the highest-impact upgrades in a small kitchen. Instead of crouching and reaching into a dark base cabinet, you pull the whole contents out and see everything at once. They swallow bulky pots, pans, and mixing bowls, and with soft-close runners and dividers they stay quiet and organized.

3. Conquer the Corners

Corners are where small-kitchen storage goes to die — unless you fit them out properly. Lazy Susans, swing-out trays, and specialized pull-out corner shelves turn an awkward dead angle into a genuine storage powerhouse, bringing items at the very back within easy reach instead of lost in the void.

4. Add Slim Pull-Out Cabinets

Those narrow gaps beside the fridge, oven, or counter run are prime territory. A slim vertical pull-out — just a few inches wide — becomes a full-height rack for spices, oils, bottles, or cleaning supplies. It uses space that would otherwise sit empty and keeps everything visible and reachable in one glide.

5. Build a Pull-Out Pantry

No room for a walk-in pantry? A tall pull-out pantry cabinet delivers much of the function in a fraction of the footprint. Multiple sliding shelves bring canned goods, dry staples, and spices out to you, making excellent use of vertical space in a narrow slot where a traditional pantry could never fit.

6. Claim the Toe-Kick

The recessed strip beneath your base cabinets is usually wasted — but it doesn’t have to be. Toe-kick drawers tuck into that hidden band at floor level, perfect for flat or infrequently used items like baking sheets, trays, placemats, and seasonal linens. It’s storage you didn’t know you had.

7. Work the Cabinet Doors and Interiors

The inside faces of cabinet doors are free real estate. Add racks, rails, or hooks for lids, cutting boards, foil, and small utensils, and fit interiors with adjustable shelves, stackable inserts, and drawer dividers. These low-cost additions multiply capacity inside cabinets you already have.

8. Choose a Storage-Smart Island or Cart

If your layout allows even a compact island or rolling cart, make it work double duty. Islands with drawers, cabinets, or open shelving beneath add both prep surface and storage, while a movable cart flexes in and out as needed — and in the tightest spaces, a fold-down or roll-out option tucks away entirely when you’re done.

Making Every Inch Count

The secret to small-kitchen storage isn’t cramming in more cabinets — it’s making each one accessible, visible, and purpose-built. A few guiding principles:

  • Reach up and down — full-height cabinets and toe-kick drawers capture space most kitchens ignore.
  • Pull out, don’t dig in — drawers, slide-outs, and corner mechanisms beat deep, dark cabinets every time.
  • Plan storage around your habits — store what you use most where you use it, and let the layout follow your daily flow.

Want a small kitchen that stores more and feels bigger? Book a consultation and our team will design cabinetry tailored to every inch of your space — or Get a Quote to get started.

How to choose an ideal coffee table?

The coffee table is an item which unites people, organizes the space of your room, makes the sitting area look cosy and stylish. And besides that, it has many important functions – from caring the coffee cups to displaying decorative items and your favourite books and magazines. So, here are some tips how to choose a perfect coffee table.

Continue reading How to choose an ideal coffee table?