Promotion: luxury appliance brand Fisher & Paykel unveiled the Nature – Ritual exhibition at EuroCucina at Salone del Mobile this year, which showcased its kitchen designs against a backdrop of New Zealand forests.

Nature – Ritual's concept and sculptural kitchens were created in partnership with Alt Group, with the installation designed by Milan-based studio Calvi Brambilla and Partners.

Drawing on influences from New Zealand's landscape, elemental materials and sensory experiences, the installation explored how Fisher & Paykel's place of origin continues to shape its approach to product design.

The space was wrapped in a high-resolution "forest cloak" – a back-lit photograph by photographer Josh Griggs, which was printed onto fabric, creating a forested veil around each part.

The image was captured in New Zealand's South Island beach forest, with the aim of bringing a sense of the country's natural environment into the installation.

Across the exhibition, two woods from the country were used – tōtara and basalt – to create tactile surfaces throughout the space.

The exhibition aimed to create a calming experience and express Fisher & Paykel's belief that through materiality, atmosphere and life-centred technology, good design can turn home routines into "rituals".

When walking through the installation, visitors were welcomed with traditional kawakawa tea, followed by a guided walkthrough led by a team of New Zealand-based industrial product designers.

The experience mirrored what Fisher & Paykel offers across its global Experience Centres, in a bid to create a consistent and immersive brand journey.

"It became an oasis of calm where thousands of visitors encountered an approach to kitchen and fabric care design that placed equal emphasis on atmosphere, performance and human connection," Fisher & Paykel CEO Daniel Witten-Hannah said.

Nature – Ritual also showcased Fisher & Paykel's State of the Art collection, including its latest addition to the brand's Minimal Style family – a new 30-inch Steam Assist oven.

Rather than being displayed as standalone objects, the appliances were integrated throughout the space, spotlighting how Fisher & Paykel products can become part of a home's architecture.

Integrated Column Refrigeration and Wine Cabinets were clad in wooden tōtara surfaces and digitally carved using a generated algorithm to imitate the irregular rhythm of hand-adzed timber.

An algorithmic patterning process introduced subtle variation across each mark, so the surfaces carried the warmth and tactility of craft while being made through contemporary manufacturing techniques.

Sculptural vessels by ceramic artist Aaron Scythe were also displayed to further underline the organic theme.

This section also featured Fisher & Paykel's CoolDrawer prototype, which spotlights how modular cooling solutions can be extended into wardrobe and bedroom environments to preserve skincare products.

Alongside the forest curtain, visitors encountered a commissioned forest scent and birdsong audio track, created specifically to heighten the immersive experience.

Further into the space, Fisher & Paykel introduced new fabric care solutions, including its minimalist Fabric Care Cabinet, front-loader washer and heat pump dryer, designed to show how new "rituals" of fabric care can be added into architectural wardrobes and other areas of the home.

Throughout Nature – Ritual, the focus was on tactile materials and sculptural shapes.

Creative director Dean Poole of Alt Group, who developed the kitchen environments, described the installation as a "distillation of the qualities of untouched forest into a warm, tactile minimalism".

Following the end of Milan design week, the installation was taken back to New Zealand and will be shown at Fisher & Paykel's new headquarters in Auckland.

To learn more about Fisher & Paykel, visit its website here.

The photography is by Toaki Okano.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Fisher & Paykel as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.