All in the Family: Antonio Aricò’s Rustic Kitchen Designs Made by His Grandfather

Milan-based furniture and product designer Antonio Aricí² has sawdust in his blood: He grew up in Reggio Calabria, in southern Italy, hammering together his first creations at the knees of his carpenter grandfather and uncle. He’s since studied all over the world–product design at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia, metal and jewelry design at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Scotland, and traditional furniture making in Spain. And he’s shown his work globally as well. 

Recently, Aricí² was invited by the Triennale Design Museum of Milan to produce an affordable collection for Design Boomart, a Stockholm exhibit that took place in late January. For it, he returned to his roots and came up with Oldways, a group of rustic kitchen accessories fabricated for him by none other than his grandfather Saverio Zaminga.

Photography by F. Zaminga.

Above: “I was inspired by the objects that are always hanging on the walls of my nonno’s kitchen, simple wooden designs created in a basic way,” says Aricí². His Kitchen Utensils, shown here, begin as drawings that his grandfather then cuts out by hand, no two exactly alike

Above: The Utensils are made of beechwood–as are all of the pieces in the collection–and are €15 ($15.87) apiece.

Above: The Rolling Pins hang from leather cording.

Above: Chopping Blocks–which Aricí² describes as “slices of beechwood, instinctively and simply cut”–come in three sizes and range in price from €20 ($21) to €35 ($37).

Above: The narrowest Block is sized for serving salumi.

Above: Aricí²’s Cheese Graters are made the old, resourceful way–by drilling holes in tomato soup cans with a nail.

Above: The Grater, €18 ($19) each, is “simple and spartan, but modern in its shape,” says Aricí². 

Worldwide shipping is available; to place orders, contact Aricí² via his website or email [email protected].

For more of the rustic look, see:

• 10 Favorites: Rustic Open Shelving in the Kitchen
• Steal This Look: An English Kitchen with a Rustic-Modern Edge
• 9 European Rustic Kitchens 
• From Italy with Love: Rustic and Raw Planters by Flí²