We asked Carmen Martinez, Area Manager Furniture for the Swiss market, what the kitchen of the future is for Laminam. Sustainable innovation, innovative thickness and format, versatile planning. The kitchen of the future is already here.

 

Laminam surfaces planned for the kitchen are suitable for the so-called splash zone, the vertical surface, and the food zone, the horizontal kitchen worktop. What are the advantages of having a Laminam kitchen worktop?

The changes related to living spaces and domestic or work environments also involve the kitchen. And specifically, the kitchen worktop. This surface must be multifunctional and capable of adapting its technical features to resist new challenges. Resist to sudden temperature changes, chemical aggression, scratches and accidental knocks: Laminam ceramic tops guarantee superior performance and features meeting the needs of everyday life, thanks to the intrinsic hygienic characteristics of the ceramic surface and to the large dimensions which reduce or eliminate the presence of joints and do not absorb humidity.

Also, an aesthetic component represents a further significant advantage: the Laminam Effect. Combined use of surfaces, textures, and finishes shaped according to their intended use, thanks to the breadth of the range and the availability of different formats and thicknesses, to give a single soul to the environments, whether residential or commercial. The only limit is one’s imagination.

 

Laminam has revolutionized the world of ceramic production, creating large-size and minimum-thickness surfaces, innovating the architecture and design market, the bringing continuity between mass, surfaces and edges with the IN-SIDE series. It seems that innovation is part of the company’s history. How does Laminam imagine the kitchen of the future?

The kitchen of the future is a versatile environment which, regardless of size, can be configured for multiple functions. If we think about it, the ‘kitchen of the future’ is already here. Only superior natural surfaces with considerable technical and aesthetic performances can cover the spaces of tomorrow.

 

What are the trends in the kitchen context in terms of textures, finishes, and colours?

An evident trend in contemporary interior design finds an irreplaceable ally in colour, leaning towards a broad and harmonious palette in which natural colours are the protagonists. The combinations of floors, walls and furnishing accessories suggest tone-on-tone combinations of materials inspired by the Earth. The IN-SIDE range expresses this trend on ceramic surfaces with the most recent products to enrich a welcoming and full-colour palette: Terra di Matera, Terra di Pompei and Terra di Saturnia.

The collection takes its name from the cutting-edge technology with which Laminam has managed to create material continuity between the surface, edge, and mass of the slabs. This continuity opens up new architectural perspectives, especially for kitchen tops and washbasins: the material can be worked, interpreted and enhanced on all sides, including the rear. Consequently, also the texture is continuous: colours inspired by Nature, in a natural or flamed finish, can likewise be combined seamlessly.

 

The company brings twenty years of experience and a versatile design offer to the Swiss market, being at the service of material processors and designers to further amplify their degree of freedom and individuality. How is this possible?

We have been on the market for 20 years, but we define ourselves as “Pioneers forever”. Laminam was the first company to transform the ceramic sector with a winning intuition: create large natural architectural surfaces with innovative formats and thicknesses. Over the years, the company has developed a completely new production process increasing energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact; Laminam collections contain up to 60% recycled material, 100% of the water is reintroduced into the production process, and 95% of raw waste is recovered.

Today we present a range of eclectic and versatile surfaces (13 collections declined in 146 colours) to enhance the creativity of the community of architects and designers and the skill of marble workers. With this spirit, we work daily to satisfy and anticipate the needs of our customers, offering them dedicated Customer Service in all phases and supporting them in developing their projects.

 

Responsibility and cooking. How does sustainable innovation, one of the most significant guidelines of the Laminam strategy, also involve this space?

Now more than ever, every project related to the environment and people’s health must deal with the economic, social and environmental context and affect People, Companies and Products in equal measure – in a harmonious development that produces concrete and measurable results over time. For Laminam, sustainable innovation is a global concept applied to these three pillars, as evidenced by our third 2021 Sustainability Report.

Starting from the protection of people, the culture of talents and the promotion of work-life balance (Laminam closed 2021 with an HR growth of 24 % higher than the previous year and over 4,000 hours of training provided). The future for Laminam is increasingly international, with our products distributed in over 100 countries, never disregarding the mission of “sustainability in action” featuring the company. We could define ourselves as “certification collectors” because the pursuit of excellence is in our DNA, and the product certifications are proof (guaranteed by a third party) that the commitment towards sustainability translates into objective change.

In the food sector, our collections hold, among others, the Kosher Certification, the NSF (which ensures suitability for contact with food according to the strict protocol drawn up by the American National Standard for Food Equipment), and the declaration of conformity MOCA, which guarantees compliance with the mandatory food hygiene requirements. In 2021, the process for the renewal of the EPD (environmental product declaration) certification on all Laminam thicknesses was completed, thus guaranteeing the certification of all products.

 

Who is Laminam

Pioneers, always. Laminam was born in the early 2000s, following the invention of production technologies to create large ceramic surfaces. A pioneering company, it was the first to revolutionize the ceramics market, giving new impetus to a now mature sector, betting on the intuition of creating large architectural surfaces and placing innovative formats and thicknesses on the market.

Over the years, the company has developed a completely new production process, characterized by innovative methods and highly automated technologies typical of industry 4.0, such as digital decoration systems, dry cutting systems and internal logistics managed with automatic vehicles laser guide. These are methods and technologies increasing energy efficiency while reducing the environmental impact. Today Laminam produces and offers a range of large eclectic and versatile ceramic surfaces used in many applications, from traditional and advanced architecture to furnishings and design, distributed in over 100 countries worldwide.

Over the years, the collections have been enriched with new textures and finish to enhance the creativity of designers, architects and anyone who wants to give a new connotation to their spaces. Laminam is currently controlled by Alpha, an independent pan-European private equity fund with €2 billion under management, specializing in mid-cap deals in continental Europe, with offices in Milan, Paris, Luxembourg, Frankfurt and Amsterdam, which has invested in the company together with the management team.

 

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