THE RESTAURANT BY CAESARSTONE & TOM DIXON Milan Design Week 2016

Four conceptual kitchens inspired by the elements will take over the historical Rotonda della Besana delivering an experimental food concept

March 2016: Known for presenting memorable, interactive installations in Milan, quartz manufacturer Caesarstone is collaborating with celebrated British designer Tom Dixon on a multi-sensory creation. ‘The RESTAURANT by Caesarstone & Tom Dixon’ consists of four conceptual kitchens inspired by the elements – Earth, Fire, Water and Air. These kitchens will take over the Milan Children’s Museum (MUBA) in the historical Rotonda della Besana during the 2016 design festival in Milan.

Set within the ideal backdrop of a 17th century Cloister encircling a public garden and a deconsecrated church, each of the four sections of the cruciform-shaped complex will introduce a different range of Caesarstone’s designs. Demonstrating the versatility and beauty of the Caesarstone surfaces, combined with Tom Dixondesigned dining halls and products, each kitchen will feature a variety of colours and materials that complement the mood and atmosphere of each specific element.

The EARTH kitchen, inspired by the ancient Roman aqueducts, incorporates earthy brown tones of selected Caesarstone designs including light mushroom coloured

Tuscan Dawn and Concetto Albero, made from assembled segments of petrified wood. The food will be prepared by adopting an ancient European vegetable cooking method that utilizes hay to enhance the natural flavours of the products.

The FIRE kitchen is inspired by charred wood and smoke, using blackened beams and hints of gold in combination with Caesarstone’s dramatic blacks and dark greys: Vanilla Noir, Raven and Coastal Grey. The food – smoked, seared and burned – will complete the conceptual experience.

The WATER kitchen reflects the jagged edges of frozen ice and has been interpreted using a spectrum of Caesarstone grey and white tonalities. Varying from steaming to freezing, the kitchen will experiment with the material by subjecting it to extreme temperatures.

Inspired by urban architecture, the AIR kitchen is created with thin, vertically-placed Caesarstone slabs and cut-outs that serve as cooking counters. Caesarstone’s Raw Concrete and Nobel Grey create an urban, light background for the completion of the culinary experience – the dessert bar.

Commissioned by Caesarstone, Italian food design studio Arabeschi di Latte, headed by Francesca Sarti, will curate the overall food concept.

“Following on from the success of the Caesarstone ICE Kitchen at IDS 2016 in January, our Milan collaboration with Tom Dixon will shed new light on the versatility and all-encompassing qualities of Caesarstone’s designs. It will bring to the forefront Caesarstone’s unique way of turning home kitchens into immersive, experiential platforms where food creation, dining and design harmoniously meld to create an ideal multi-sensory experience” Eli Feiglin, VP of Marketing at Caesarstone.

“In Milan this year, we wanted to collaborate with Caesarstone to inspire architects and designers through a radical interpretation of how food and surfaces can interact in different ways, delivering a food experience that challenges all the senses in an exercise of materiality, luminosity and texture. Reflecting on the four medieval elements, we have created totally distinctive smells, tastes and visual experiences within each room”. Tom Dixon.

Notes to Editors:
For media enquiries, please contact: Caesarstone: Diana Rabba, [email protected]

La Rotonda della Besana

Via Enrico Besana, 12, 20122 Milano, Italy
Tuesday April 12th open 12.00 to 19.00
Wednesday April 13th – Saturday April 16th open 10.00 to 19.00
Sunday 17th April open 10.00 to 16.00

PRESS PREVIEW Tuesday April 12th from 10.00 to 12.00

About La Rotonda della Besana:

In 2014, MUBA Museo dei Bambini di Milano obtained an 8-year concession over La Rotonda della Besana from the Milano Municipality. MUBA is a Foundation whose purpose is to create and promote cultural expressions aimed at encouraging stereotype-free creative thought in children and prepare them for a society which requires greater and greater creative attitudes. MUBA develops and spreads nonformal education with a view to promoting an innovative culture focused on children’s direct experience, according to the pedagogical approach of the Children’s Museums, to which MUBA is closely related www.muba.it

About Caesarstone:

Caesarstone manufactures high quality engineered quartz surfaces, which are used in both residential and commercial buildings as countertops, vanities, wall cladding, floors and other interior surfaces. The wide variety of colors, styles, designs and textures of Caesarstone® products, along with Caesarstone’s inherent characteristics such as hardness, non-porous, scratch and stain resistance and durability, provide consumers with excellent surfaces for their internal spaces which are highly competitive to granite, manufactured solid surfaces and laminate, as well as to other engineered quartz surfaces. Caesarstone’s four collections of products — Classico, Supremo, Motivo and Concetto — are available in over 50 countries around the world. www.caesarstone.com

About Tom Dixon:

Established in 2002, Tom Dixon is a British product design brand. With a commitment to innovation and a mission to revive the British furniture industry, the brand is inspired by the nation’s unique heritage and produces extraordinary objects for everyday use. www.tomdixon.net/uk/