Compasso d’oro – Career Award 2022 for Boffi
The Minikitchen first appeared in 1963, bringing with it a revolutionary offering and a contemporary manifesto for that time period. It was a monobloc unit that perfectly contained the cooking and storage functions in one cubic metre set on four wheels. It was the perfect object for the nomadic world already envisioned by Colombo.
“I have in mind something that could be useful in 40 or 50 years’ time, when the world of work will be nomadic and furniture will have to adapt to the world of the future.”
This was the reply of Joe Colombo, a designer with a volcanic personality, to Paolo Boffi, Honorary President of Boffi, on August 22, 1962 when asked to present a proposal for a new kitchen.
It was indeed Boffi, known already then for its first state-of-the-art kitchens, that took up the challenge and became the ideal partner for the project, not only because of its ability to provide functional aesthetics to products but more importantly for its research & development skills that form the basis for the gradual modifications, regular adjustments and continuous updates.
“The exhibition of Joe Colombo’s Minikitchen at MoMA in New York was a great accomplishment for Boffi and delivered an unprecedented sense of achievement.Today, Boffi is excited to see this system honoured as a symbol of Italian design. This design, with its compactness, is still incredibly relevant today thanks to the mind of one of the most visionary creatives from that era.” – Cit.Roberto Gavazzi, CEO Boffi|DePadova –
ADI and the ADI Compasso d’Oro Collection Foundation have recognised the Minikitchen as an undisputed protagonist of Italian design culture, assigning this compact appliance of ideas and innovation the 2022 Compasso d’Oro Career Award.