The worlds of fashion and design have come together in the creation of a breathtaking Officine Gullo kitchen, with the kitchen walls featuring hand-painted patterns inspired by the new Aquazzura Casa homeware collection. This is a rare and exciting collaboration between Andrea Gullo, Director of Officine Gullo, and Edgardo Osorio, founder and Creative Director of Italian footwear label Aquazzura, that will pave the way for future joint projects between the brands.
For this special project, Officine Gullo was commissioned to handcraft a bespoke kitchen for an Osorio residence in the Palazzo Corner Spinelli. The 15th-century residence’s location is exceptional: situated on the Grand Canal in the San Marco district of Venice, it exudes elegance and opulence. The property is characterised by architecture representing the transition from the Gothic to the Renaissance in Venetian art.
The tailor-made Officine Gullo kitchen was installed on the first floor in Osorio’s apartment. Discovering Officine Gullo, one of the aspects that most struck Edgardo Osorio was the richness of the colours and the attention to detail of the ranges specially crafted in Florence.
The kitchen boasts a bold turquoise hue with nickel finishes. The professional-grade cooking appliances and refrigeration fit perfectly into the environment, characterised by a striped painted parquet floor and hand-decorated walls. Exotic animals, flowers, and brightly coloured trees recall delicate 18th-century Chinese porcelain motifs and transport the observer to an exotic garden and distant places.
Osorio explains the design concept: “The initial idea for the kitchen came about after visiting Villa Necchi in Milan. In the villa, there’s a room that features a hand-painted winter garden, and I immediately fell in love with it. I always wanted to create a kitchen that resembled a living room, and to do so, I retrieved botanical drawings from the 18th century from which I drew inspiration for the trees and plants I wanted to use.”
“During the renovation of my new home in Venice, I was looking for a special kitchen that was truly unique. I’ve never been a big fan of kitchen environments, so I wanted to design one where spending time was a pleasure. I wanted to reproduce a winter garden filled with colour, animals, and trees from different seasons of the year. The walls are all hand-painted, and Aquazzura’s iconic logo, the pineapple, is featured in the doors and knobs for a whimsical and personal touch. Creating this means the kitchen has truly become the heart of my home.”
Based on Edgardo Osorio’s specific needs, the environment was designed to accommodate special moments spent with family and friends. Osorio adds: “I’m used to organizing many private events and occasions, and my kitchen is often used for dinners and lunches with friends who come to visit me in Venice. Gullo kitchens are beautiful, colourful, full of unique details and handcrafted in Florence. For this reason, it was important that the first project for Aquazzura Casa was to be carried out with a company that could create an extraordinary kitchen environment that above all shared our values.”
Although belonging to different sectors, Officine Gullo and Aquazzura share common values in their constant search for beauty and perfection in details, a signature of Florentine craftsmanship. Andrea Gullo explains: “I had the pleasure of being introduced to Edgardo by mutual friends, but I was well aware of the success of his women’s footwear brand. I immediately appreciated the high-quality details and the unmistakable elegance of his creations. Both of our companies currently boast a presence in the main international capitals. Our respective customers want almost the same thing: unique products capable of fully responding to the indispensable needs of functionality and style.”
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To find out more about Officine Gullo and their new collaboration with Aquazzura, visit their website or follow them on Facebook or Instagram.
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