Smeg has unveiled a special edition of the classic Piano Hob, launching 1,000 pieces of the design classic originally conceived with Italian architect Renzo Piano in 1995.
The new collection encompasses the slick fundamentals and industrial aesthetic of the original. The four or five burner kitchen hob is crafted entirely from polished stainless steel and comes coated with a plasma technology to prevent tarnishing, with faithful Italian design details including an absence of welding on the burner pan.
Renzo Piano built on both his Italian roots and fascination for technology in architecture, encapsulating his vision in buildings such as the Centre Pompidou (with Richard Rogers) in Paris and London’s the Shard. This high-tech aesthetic is carried through here, as 35 years since the original Piano Hob was released in Milan coincides with the tenth anniversary of the Shard, interlinking the industrial design codes both share.
‘Smeg is thrilled to have worked with the iconic Renzo Piano as part of our ever-growing portfolio,’ said Richard Mackey, product manager at Smeg UK. ‘We believe that all products found in the kitchen should not only perform perfectly, but they should be striking with a design story behind them too. Piano is an inspiring designer and visionary, and we are humbled to have his designs and legacy immortalised in our product.’
Two sizes of the hob – the Renzo Piano P705ES at 71cm wide, and the P64ES at 65cm wide – are both created from EverShine stainless steel across the pan stands and burners, making this a sharply modern piece of kitchen design. Piano was originally drawn to the reflection and the refraction the surface created, its polished coating reminiscent of a piece of glass – a vision which later took shape in the Shard.
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