In our life at home, very often it’s the accessories that make the difference. The emergence of perception of the home as a space to be rethought based on the occupants’ effective needs has urged us to imagine ergonomic, user-friendly objects with new functions. For those who, like Domus Line, design and create lighting and power systems, the kitchen has always been one of the most stimulating environments: the pursuit of solutions to enhance lighting design performances with new functions that may seem simple but should not be taken for granted, is always an exciting challenge.
The need to power small electrical appliances (Amazon lists no less than 16 categories, including food processors, electric kettles, toasters, coffee machines, hand-held mixers, rice cookers and many others) has now been joined by the need to charge smartphones or other devices, perhaps while listening to your favourite playlist on Spotify, or watching the latest celebrity chef on Youtube reveals the secrets behind the ultimate spaghetti bolognese. Of course, this requirement for more power points (power and USB sockets) in the kitchen today is nothing new, but unfortunately neither is their tendency to be invasive. Often they are space-consuming, not very attractive and usually located anywhere except where they are needed. The solutions in which they are incorporated into the worktops (e.g. pop-up tower sockets) take up valuable space, which could otherwise be used for a drawer. They reduce the usable worktop surface area, occupied not only by the sockets but also by the power cables of the electrical appliances attached to them, getting in the way of the person preparing or cooking food. Not to mention that often these types of sockets are located too near the sink or the hob, exposing those who use them to all the risks associated with exposure to liquids and heat.
To offer a valid response to these problems, Domus Line has created UNIKA, a multitasking luminaire that integrates a power socket, a double USB socket and even a multi-function switch in a light source. Inspired by the philosophy of less is more, all this is contained in a tilted cylindrical body with an elegantly simple design, conceived for installation under cabinets or shelves against the back wall. UNIKA combines a minimal look with advanced functions in a solution that offers both perfect kitchen worktop lighting and electrical sockets, the latter in a 100% safe location, installed under the cabinet or shelf. In this way, the worktop is no longer cluttered with the power cables of the electrical appliances.
UNIKA can be configured with a touch switch that is safe even when it comes into contact with wet hands. This turns the light on and off, adjusts the brightness and light temperature (i.e. colour) of the single device, and all the other UNIKA luminaires in the kitchen, including those that incorporate rapid charge power and USB sockets. Installing the device under the cabinets near the back wall also makes it possible to conceal the cables at the rear and simplify the connection to the mains electricity and the power supply.
