As far as I can tell, the year 1992 brought two significant events. The first was the release of Reservoir Dogs, and the second was the merging of manufacturer Snaidero and design firm Pininfarina in the very concrete form of the Ola Kitchen. Some 20 years later, the two companies continue to enjoy routine collaboration as they continue to receive deserved acclaim: Snaidero’s Ola 20 recently garnered the Good Design Award for 2011.

Ola 20 Kitchen. Designed by Pininfarina. Manufactured by Snaidero.

Snaidero’s Ola 20 Incorporates Sustainable Technology to Improve a Classic

If you’re in need of a brief refresher, the original Ola Kitchen was a sublimely sculptural and fantastically functional kitchen suite that embraced the best of pragmatism and high style. To my eyes, the centerpiece of the original Ola was the half oval bar that jutted out from the countertop like an ethereal apostrophe. Supported on lithe wooden legs in the form of an inverted U, the feature made Ola appear contemporary and classical at once.

Wisely, the 2011 version preserves the basic bones of Ola: upper and lower cabinets with clean lines and rounded edges, an integrated double stove, sink, surrounding countertops, and prodigious amounts of negative space. The updating of Ola 20 alters none of this as it merely introduces a new palette of materials and greener manufacturing techniques.

Among the latter one finds surfacing innovations like the revolutionary micalized lacquering—“using mica as a reflecting agent creates a brightness that is less reflecting and more transparent, so smarter colorings are obtained.” In that regard, Snaidero offers the Ola 20 worktops in multiple finishes: whites, grays, ruby reds, rich oranges, grape greens, sideral blues, and penetrating blacks.

And while Snaidero continues to practice environmentally-conscious manufacturing techniques, it’s worth noting that this is no fashionable trend as they’ve always done exactly that. First awarded the ISO 9001 certification for quality control systems in 1995, the company is currently certified to ISO 14001 for environmental management and to SA 8000 for social responsibility management—all the more reason to feel good about Ola 20’s beautiful contours and sensible design: “Exactly 20 years after it was first presented, Snaidero has decided to invest again in the ambitious alchemy of tradition and invention, combining the unmistakable features of a traditional classic with extremely contemporary elements.”

About the Manufacturer: For 65 years, Snaidero has designed and manufactured kitchens and kitchen components with a cutting edge aesthetic and a careful eye to functionality. This last quality is of supreme importance in the kitchen, and Snaidero consistently balances the needs of a kitchen-based lifestyle with an avant garde aesthetic. The company routinely attracts leading designers—Massimo Iosa Ghini, Angelo Mangiarotti, and Paolo Pininfarina have all authored original work for Snaidero.