About Arclinea

HISTORY

In 1925 Silvio Fortuna Senior set up in Caldogno Italy a firm of the same name — a small, scale craft carpentry business which quickly developed a reputation for the finest quality craftsmanship. The company became known as ‘Arclinea Cucine Componibili’ in 1960, a few years after Fortuna’s sons and daughter, Almerino, Lena and Angelo, joined the business. At this time, the company shifted its attention to mass production, devoting all production energy to kitchen furniture. The company’s wealth of experience in wood craftsmanship was an essential prerequisite enabling Arclinea to produce kitchen furniture on an industrial scale, at a quality far superior to the norm of the time.

The success of Arclinea was declared by the public and experts alike at the Milan Trade Fair of 1963 thanks to Claudia, the first Italian kitchen with built-in appliances. While appliance manufacturers were skeptical and reluctant to cooperate, Arclinea was so committed to the concept that kitchens can be equally functional and inviting that it designed its own kitchen appliances to integrate with these new cabinetry designs to ensure their success.Having accumulated an expertise in successfully resolving the organisation of living spaces, Arclinea directed its interest to furnishings for small residential units, a rapidly growing segment both in the private sphere and in tourist complexes. In 1972, the company division Minispazio was set up: A department for advising on, designing and producing complete furnishings for small spaces.

The third generation of the Fortuna family joined the company at the end of the 1970s: Silvio, Walter, Marillina and Gianni. Arclinea became even more flexible, more dynamic and more attentive to market demand, securing an international reputation for technically innovative and aesthetically exquisite kitchen designs.

MISSION

Arclinea’s mission is to harmonize creativity and technology, conviviality and functionality, through innovative solutions for spaces that improve our quality of life.

ARCLINEA TODAY

Technology and solid creativity are the two complementary concepts at the heart of the Arclinea kitchen philosophy. Quality has been both the point of departure and arrival for Arclinea, connecting the traditions of the past with the present and future.

Arclinea enriches the contemporary kitchen with Mediterranean warmth, thoroughly and innovatively resolving every technical problem to produce a more creative, personalised, liveable kitchen. Quality and technological resource always merge with creativity and functional innovations of the best design in a unique, personal, constantly evolving direction.

Why Arclinea is different

Quarantee and Quality

Constant pursuit of excellence – since 1925. Arclinea’s great reliability means that all products are covered by a five-year guarantee against factory defects. Quality development starts with the project through careful selection of materials and finished products and it is certified by physical and mechanical testing carried out by in-house laboratory staff and qualified external laboratories (Certo, Catas). A serious company policy guarantees that products, production and procedures are constantly updated in line with a responsible system oriented towards future generations based on a clear principle: the first concrete gesture is to make products that last in time and that truly serve to improve quality of life. On 24 May 2010 Arclinea was one of the first industries in the Italian kitchen sector to obtain OHSAS (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series) 18001 Certification, the international standard that establishes requisites for health and safety management at work. The management system governed by the OHSAS is inspired by ISO 14001 safety and environmental standards.

This initiative is perfectly in line with the company’s person-centric philosophy, followed since the start with the continuity, profound conviction and careful responsibility that is evident in its attitude to staff, commercial partners and consumers.

Functionality and technology

Innovative products delivering unique performance. Professional hoods with high extraction capacity, hoods for tops, built-in hoods, extraction canopy shelves and ceiling-mounted models, with detached motors to take fumes and noise outside. Exclusive accessorised sinks, taps and fittings, a wide selection of internal accessories for organising drawers, base, wall and tall units. Indoor miniature greenhouses for growing herbs, infra-red food warmers, dishwarmers, warming tops and cooling tops with laser edging that can be installed on stainless steel worktops. Variable height tables, pull-out tops to be used as tables or snack bars, wine storage solutions - functionality and technology at the service of the client.

Ergonomics

Everything in the right place, every function matching performance. Accessory, worktop and appliance positioning stems from careful research to make work easy, while improving visibility and movement. Easy-to-grasp handles, recessed plinths, the right lighting for the technical zone and inside tall units, worktops in different heights and depths, in-wall dishwashers, MAC (Mini-Appliances-Container), study of work paths and hot-cold preparation flows: from initial food preparation to decoration of the finished dish, because ergonomics

are always an essential ingredient of an excellent kitchen project.

Space design

Architectonic solutions to fit the space they occupy. Careful design uses and organises available space in the best possible way, allowing the different rooms in the home to integrate perfectly. Handy pantry units with sliding or recessed doors, Closets fitted with 180° opening side-hung doors, tall units easy to reach thanks to integrated stepladders that slide on rails and the WIC (Walk-In-Closet), available in storage and “walk-through” versions. Thanks to careful study of interiors and the needs of their inhabitants, the Arclinea project always comes up with complete solutions.

Eco friendly philosophy

The Arclinea philosophy respects and protects the environment. For years now the company has undertaken to make increasing use of eco-friendly materials and to adopt eco-friendly practices such as, for example, choosing recyclable materials (stainless steel, aluminium, Solid Ray, glass), the reduction of formaldehyde emissions (Arclinea units are class E1 certified, with emissions below 6.5 mg HCOH/100g) and water-based paints and lacquers. Wood used includes larch, mahogany and oak from FSC-certified forests. Ecological panels, made from 100% recycled regenerated wood, stand out as an example of materials selected for Arclinea furniture. Ecology for Arclinea is not just a promo slogan, it is a serious policy of respect for sustainable development as a responsibility towards future generations.

Materials and finishes

Careful choices, accurate production processes, unique designs. Care taken in the choice of materials and how they are processed. Craftsmanship that shows in recessed handles and worktops in AISI 304 (18/8) stainless steel. Carcass finishes: Titan (edged melamine, water resistant and heat resistant to 150°C, anti-splinter edging), Okoumé (waterproof marine multiply panel) or white.

A variety of materials for worktops: stainless steel, solid core, wood, quartz, marble and granite, HPL edged in wood, steel or aluminium. The range is completed by a wide selection of customisation options for finishes and maximum attention to detail: from LED lighting to hardware, from edgings to sides and “soft-closure” hinges with personalised adjustment. All ensuring maximum reliability and safety: because those who choose Arclinea know the importance of details.

Antonio Citterio

Arclinea reference designer since 1986, the architect Antonio Citterio has coordinated the collection, image and evolution of Arclinea corporate identity since 1998.
The initial project "Italia"(1988) was followed by Mediterranea, Florida, Ginger, Artusi and 2002 Convivium with which Citterio rethinks the ideaof elements for the kitchen. Ever smaller spaces can be countered with living kitchens that integrate the table with the central working island. Collaboration between the company and Citterio became even more intense and gained a new slant in 2006, with the birth of the Arclinea Trading Campus: the objective was to spread the culture of design and convey Antonio Citterio's planning, style and aesthetic concepts to the entire sales network.
Over the years complete design process management has been developed and put in place. A strict formal and functional approach to the product has led to the most complex definition of space, with the realisation of innovative solutions for kitchens synchronised, aiming to improve quality of life: from ergonomics to well-being via emotion.

Biography

Antonio Citterio was born in Meda (Milan) in 1950 and graduated in architecture in Milan at Politecnico. Since 1972 he has worked in the field of the industrial design. In 1999 "Antonio Citterio and Partners" was founded in Milan by Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel as a multidisciplinary practice. The firm operates in the fields of product design, architectural and interior design (in both the private and public sectors), space planning, retail and showroom design, corporate image and location design.

Today he works for many companies, amongst them Albatros - Sanitec Group, Ansorg, Arclinea, Axor-Hansgrohe, Aubrilam, B&B Italia, Flexform, Flos, Fusital, Guzzini, Iittala, Inda, Kartell, Maxalto, Metalco, Pozzi Ginori - Sanitec Group, Simon Urmet, Skantherm, Tre Più, Vitra, Wall. Amongs the most recent projects: "Palazzo Comunale di Clusone",, headquarter of GlaxoSmithkline in Verona, residential units in Villasimius and Basel, Bulgari Resort in Bali, Showroom Aspesi in Milan, Michele Arboreto Square in Rozzano. In January 2007 Antonio Citterio & Partners obtains the Certification UNI EN ISO 9001:2000. Editorials: Antonio Citterio Industrial Design (Electa) and Antonio Citterio (Edilstampa). Since 2006 A.C. has been an Adjunct Professor of Design at the Academy of Architecture of the University of Italian Switzerland (Università della Svizzera Italiana).