Superdesign Show, the impressive design event by Superstudio, has been at the forefront of the Tortona Design District since 2000. As Milan Design Week 2024 begins, the design event unveils a new lineup of exhibitors, with participants spanning 11 countries, three continents and over 80 companies, breathing life into 40 innovative projects. Superdesign Show, yet again, acts as the vibrant epicentre for showcasing the latest trends and future design concepts during the week-long festival. Amidst a wide repertoire of presentations that encapsulate technological interventions, diverse perspectives and sustainable solutions, premium kitchen brand next125 lays bare new product designs alongside a striking installation designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Francis Kéré: The Fireplace. Speaking about the brand’s collaboration with the Burkinan-German architect, Markus Schüller, CEO of Schüller Möbelwerk KG says, “Our creative makers are people like Kéré, whose work is closely linked to the kitchens, interior design and architecture, and thus also with next125.”

next125, a brand by the family-owned company Schüller, one of the pioneering kitchen producers in Germany, injects the fusion of state-of-the-art industrial production and timeless architecture in its designs. Their frequent partnerships with creative makers culminate in new themes, inspiring stories and individual points of view. This creative impetus helps the company to constantly reinvent itself without compromising its authenticity and ethos. The brand’s presentation at the Superdesign Show, in collaboration with Kéré, platforms aesthetic authenticity. The immersive installation, The Fireplace, features innovative design and quality features, presented in an atmosphere that interweaves reduction and emotion. From April 15 to 21, 2024, the elegant and functional creations by next125 continue to interact with the conceived environment—inviting visitors to encounter the simmering dialogue. “With The Fireplace, I want to move people emotionally and bring together the archaic style and perfection in form,” explains Kéré.

A passion for design and architecture, attention to detail, an affinity towards wood as a material and a love of cooking bring the kitchen manufacturers and the Pritzker Prize winner together. “We are extremely impressed by Kéré’s biography and how he is as an individual, and of course by his awe-inspiring creations in which wood plays an important role,” shares Schüller. Kéré, a skilled joiner who enjoys using wood in his architectural projects, expresses a similar admiration for next125’s oeuvre, “The precision of next125 kitchens, their rational manufacturing and the perfected products made a lasting impression on me.” During Markus Schüller and Thomas Pfister’s visit to Kéré’s office in Berlin, they decided upon the theme for the project: fire. Whether in a fireplace, a traditional open-air campfire or the hob of a modern kitchen, the element brings together people from all walks of life. Cooking and eating with family and friends conclude the order of the day, and surrounding it is a place of companionship. A fascination with fire and a love of wood, design and architecture amalgamated into a captivating project with a befitting name: The Fireplace.

For the next125 campaign kitchen, Kéré realises a Pantheon-like pavilion, eight metres in diameter and approximately six metres high. The material used is debarked but is otherwise sourced from natural spruce logs from a woodland managed by a Franconian forestry business. The architect arranged them to form a circular structure that can be accessed through two arched openings. Upon stepping inside, the true impact of Kéré’s stylistic elements unfolds. Light pierces through the composition of wood that appears to be haphazardly arranged to create the dome, submerging the space in a mystical atmosphere. The kitchen island with the hob positioned in the middle—The Fireplace—is positioned in the centre, highlighted by beams of light. During the design week, visitors to the installation are also ushered to experience and revel in the feeling of companionship. To enable the immersive experience and allow them to stay in the installation for a while, Kéré has designed benches built into the interior walls of the pavilion, yielding an exceptional location for a unique kitchen.

Curated by Francis Kéré, the premiere of the new next125 campaign motif took place on April 11, 2024. The Fireplace will be on show in the Daylight Hall at Superstudio, Via Tortona 27, during Milan Design Week from April 15 to 21, 2024.

Stay tuned to STIR's coverage of Milan Design Week 2024 which showcases the best of exhibitions, studios, designers, installations, brands and events to look out for. Explore EuroCucina and all the design districts—Fuorisalone, 5vie Design Week, Isola Design Week, Brera Design District and Porta Venezia Design District.