alberto minotti on seta, design, and life
anyone who has met alberto minotti – art director at minotticucine, cannot fail to be touched by his exuberance. we caught up with him for a coffee.
q: what was the inspiration behind the seta kitchen?
a: i enthusiastically took on the challenge put to me by the company, to use new materials. silk has never been used in a kitchen because it is too delicate. by protecting it behind glass integrated panels, it turns into a work of art.
q: you introduced the philosophy of ‘mediterranean essentialism’ to your design. was there a moment when you discovered this or was it always part of your taste?
a: i was always drawn to ‘mediterranean minimalism’. this term has been misused lately. minimalism is not a trend or a fashion. it is a way of life. a way of being. visual silence is our design philosophy. it is about creating a calm environment away from the chaos of modern life. i draw my inspiration from my surroundings. i admire the work of a.g. fronzoni, adolf loos and claudio silvestrin to name a few.
q: are there any particular materials you enjoy working with?
a: i live in the area known as ‘stone valley’. i love the beauty of natural stone which is millions of years old. but i work with any type of natural material. it is in the dna of our company. my passion is in creating ground breaking, visionary designs. daring to go where no other kitchen manufacturer would! do you remember – we were the first company to introduce the pocket door system in a kitchen in 1998. we also started using 60mm thick stone worktops – which was not imagined at that time. in 2001, we collaborated with claudio silvestrin to manufacture the first ever kitchen made entirely in stone. so, minotticucine has always been the leader in design.
q: give us some insight into your background.
a: i took over minotticucine in 1998 from my father. i always had a passion for design. i knew instinctively that i wanted to take the brand into a new direction. the company is now part of the asso group and is growing globally every year.
q: your favourite city in italy?
a: it's verona, where i live. it has everything – culture, art, fantastic shopping and some of the best restaurants. it is not far from the dolomites for skiing and very near lake garda as well.
q: your favourite place to eat in verona?
a: i masenini pesce for fish and locanda castelvecchio for meat.
q: what’s on your playlist?
a: i love italian opera. every year i take my beautiful wife and daughters to the arena di verona in the opera season. i also like listening to the buddha bar compilations.