A cooker hood becomes an architectural element through modularity, integrated lighting, and smart connectivity.
Consider the cooker hood as architectural element. Fabrizio Crisà and Elica embraced precisely this possibility with Open Suite, a modular kitchen system that earned the Golden A' Design Award in Home Appliances Design in 2021. Built around 80-centimeter base modules, Open Suite combines air extraction, tunable LED lighting, customizable storage shelves, and smart home connectivity within one cohesive industrial aesthetic. Materials include stainless steel, wood, glass, and wire metal mesh. Modules can be configured as wall or island installations, extended with additional units, and personalized through a wide selection of accessories. Open Suite functions as genuinely architectural: a monolithic structure that defines the spatial character of an entire kitchen. For appliance brands exploring how functional products can claim territory beyond their primary purpose, Open Suite demonstrates specific mechanisms worth examining.
The integrated LED panel on Open Suite's lower front side illuminates cooking surfaces directly while offering tunable color temperature from cool whites to warmer tones. During meal preparation, cooler light provides clarity for precise cutting and plating. When guests gather, warmer illumination transforms the functional workspace into a convivial social zone. Open Suite connects to voice assistants and a dedicated app, enabling hands-free control and filter maintenance reminders. Double suction units maintain extraction performance while Long Life filters regenerate in a standard oven for up to three years, addressing sustainability without compromising function. For kitchen appliance manufacturers, the modularity principle deserves particular attention: standardized components combine into countless configurations, simplifying production while expanding customer solutions. Recognition from the A' Design Award validates this comprehensive approach where appliances evolve into systems that shape how people experience their living spaces.
Open Suite reveals an elegant pattern: when functional appliances integrate complementary capabilities within intentional design frameworks, products transcend their categories. The modular structure, smart connectivity, and architectural presence create emotional engagement that specification sheets alone cannot achieve. Kitchen appliance brands seeking differentiation might ask themselves a productive question: what would your core product become if designed as spatial architecture?
