An island, a single volume: the OldLine kitchen in canaletto walnut designed by ARK*

At the heart of this project is a precise concept: an island conceived not as a collection of juxtaposed units, but as a single piece, with softly rounded corners and a continuous design throughout.

The idea comes from the Naples-based studio ARK* Design Factory, led by architect Pina Esposito. We brought it to life in our workshop, crafting all the kitchen furniture: the island, the tall units, the table and the breakfast bar. The project, from measurements to installation, was overseen by AD Arredamenti, our long-standing partner in Campania.

For Arch. Pina Esposito, «the kitchen is the most lived-in space in the home, where architecture meets everyday life». This is exactly what the clients were looking for: a kitchen to be enjoyed every day, with a distinct identity, able to integrate into the architecture without weighing it down.

To achieve this, Arch. Esposito started with our collections and brought them into dialogue: the Canneté door from the Glamour collection for the island, the Gaia model from the Radha collection for the tall units, and canaletto walnut to bring everything together. Catalogue elements which, combined and tailored to this home, have become a one-of-a-kind creation.

And then there is what remains unseen. The house includes a second independent apartment, with its own back kitchen and private living area, designed to ensure complete privacy. Access is through a door we made using the same Gaia model as the tall units: when closed, it disappears seamlessly between the pantry and the fitted units. For the studio, redefining a space «means knowing how to manage its secrets». This kitchen holds one of them.

ARK* Design Factory is an architectural and interior design studio based in Naples. Founded in 2023, it is led by architect Pina Esposito. It operates in the high-end market in the Naples area, with a focus on villas and private residences. Its approach begins with listening to the people who will inhabit the spaces, and the studio develops its own technical drawings in-house.

When choosing a company for a bespoke project, ARK* looks at three criteria:

AD Arredamenti, our commercial partner in Campania, acts as the link between the studio and our company. This is a relationship that has grown stronger over time, for two reasons. AD Arredamenti works with high-end clients who are particularly attentive to the customisation of each project. And the owner, Enzo Esposito, together with his team, has recognised the distinctive qualities of our work and knows how to turn them into projects developed in collaboration with designers, like this one.

The studio wanted every room in the residence to speak the same design language. For this reason, it treated the island as a single volume, giving character to the space while keeping the overall composition light. The challenge, the architect explains, was to bring function and aesthetics together without allowing either to take precedence over the other.

The rounded corners soften the lines and guide the eye along the volume. The vertically worked canaletto walnut cladding adds rhythm and depth to the surface. The proportions are carefully calibrated to the space, ensuring that the kitchen integrates into the room without imposing itself.

Canaletto walnut is the commercial name used in Italy for American black walnut (Juglans nigra). In this project, it is the wood species that defines the entire kitchen: the Canneté doors of the island, the table and the breakfast bar, all with a matt lacquered finish.

For the architect, the kitchen's most distinctive detail is the junction between the island's curved corner, the vertical wooden fluting and the edge of the worktop. The cladding must continue seamlessly along the curve, while the worktop must follow the contour of the island, including around the radius. It is a detail that a designer recognises at first glance. «A fellow architect would appreciate it», explains Pina Esposito, because this is where the quality of the craftsmanship is truly put to the test.

We achieved the cladding using the Canneté door from our Glamour collection, in the canaletto walnut version. The OldLine Canneté door features a solid wood facing, milled with vertical fluting.

In this project:

• the facing is made of 5 mm solid canaletto walnut;
• the facing is applied to a 20 mm blockboard panel, giving the door a total thickness of 25 mm;
• the inner side of the door is veneered in 1 mm canaletto walnut;
• each flute is 1 cm wide;
• the curves have a radius of 37 cm.

At the curved ends, the doors also follow the radius and open onto shaped internal shelves. The curve is therefore not just a cladding element: it is a storage unit, built piece by piece following the same geometry.

The curve was not improvised for this project. We introduced rounded corners into our catalogue after the first prototypes and an engineering phase, during which we tested their feasibility, stability and functionality. This is why our Master Craftsmen now carry out this process as an established technique. For the designer, this means being able to draw a continuous curve knowing that the solution has already been tested, and focusing the design process where the project truly calls for it.

To ensure that the wooden top followed the exact contour of the island, we started not with the drawing, but with the actual piece. We first dry-assembled the island in our workshop. With the island assembled, we traced the shape of the top, which was then reproduced throughout the production stages: cutting, sanding and finishing.

In this project, the design focus was particularly concentrated on the table. From a production perspective, the most challenging aspect was integrating a round top into the curved section of the island, extending it into a fully functional table. The curve of the volume and that of the tabletop had to meet seamlessly, without making the table look like an added element.

The top is made of canaletto walnut, with a fan-pattern veneer, a traditional cabinetmaking technique: the veneer sheets are arranged in segments around a central point, allowing the grain to radiate outwards along the diameter. At the centre, a light-coloured circular insert completes the design.

The table is secured at two points. On one side, part of the top extends into the island and is held in place by the protruding section. On the other, the top rests on a round central leg.

The studio's technical counterpart was our Technical Department, which translated the technical drawings into construction details. The solutions originated from our own proposals, developed by listening to the studio's requirements. AD Arredamenti coordinated the discussions and oversaw the installation on site.

The process, step by step:

1. Technical drawings. The studio provides the technical drawings, developed in-house.

2. Technical development. Our Technical Department works with the studio to define the construction details: the curve, the shaped doors, the table integration and the passage door.

3. Production. Our Master Craftsmen manufacture the island, the tall units and the table in our workshop in Mareno di Piave.

4. Pre-assembly in the workshop. Before delivery, we pre-assemble the island, and it is on this pre-assembled structure that we trace the shape of the worktop. We always document this stage with photos and videos, which we share with the client.

5. Measurements and installation. Handled by AD Arredamenti.

The entire process, from technical development to installation, took approximately four months.

The studio looks for companies it can work closely with, that know how to start from the drawings and devote the same attention to detail that the studio dedicates to the project. Under these conditions, in the architect's view, customisation becomes an integral part of the project rather than an addition. This is what led to the decision to continue working together:

The studio never evaluates a finish in isolation, but rather in terms of how it interacts with light, other materials and the architecture. In this kitchen, the focus is on the contrast between the warmth of wood and the brightness of light-coloured surfaces. The matt-finished canaletto walnut brings a strong tactile presence. The light-coloured worktop, with its natural veining, lightens the volume and enhances its geometry.

The island structure is made of solid wood, stained to match the canaletto walnut cladding, so that the volume reads as a single material from every side. The same walnut is also used for the breakfast bar.

The kitchen opens onto the other rooms through a pocket sliding glass door, revealing it as it slides open.

With the project completed, architect Esposito sums up in three recommendations what a bespoke wooden kitchen requires from the designer.

1. Design the kitchen as part of the architecture. The kitchen is not an element to be added to an already defined project. Proportions, light and the relationship with the other rooms should be decided from the outset, while there is still room to make choices.

2. Share the technical drawings with the company before discussing finishes. This makes the discussion more technical and brings critical points to light straight away.

3. Choose partners who are willing to work closely with the designer. «Bespoke design makes sense when someone is willing to explore what does not yet exist.»

We work alongside designers, from the preliminary design stage through to after-sales support. The Architects' Area provides access to digital catalogues and the information needed to start a bespoke project with us. Studios that have completed an OldLine project are welcome to submit it to us: we will share its story, just as we have done in this case.

• Architects and Designers Area
• Glamour Kitchen Collection
• Radha Kitchen Collection
• Glamour Catalogue
• OldLine Craftsmanship
  
  

Credits:

• Kitchen: OldLine, Mareno di Piave (Treviso).
• Interior design: ARK* Design Factory, Naples.
• OldLine partner, measurements and installation: AD Arredamenti, Campania.
• Interior photography: Letizia Di Marzo.
• Production photography: OldLine.