Fernando Delfino is not an average architect. Not only because his meteoric career in the art of building and designing dreams for others is successful, but also because he is a multifaceted professional: TV host of Más Plus (a very popular show of the TV network Venevisión Plus, broadcasted in the United States, Central America, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Venezuela) and a speaker on interior design and university professor in this area.

And although it may seem as if his energy spreads throughout the differences between these tasks, the truth is that all their aspects are complementary. However, it’s the love and knowledge of colors, spaces, and beauty that has earned him great admiration and respect. In fact, Delfino has an interesting resume with a large number of commercial and residential projects in Venezuela, Colombia, Curaçao, Costa Rica, Chile, Spain, and the United States.

Awarded by the SAI (2010 Interior Architecture Hall, for its initials in Spanish) for a project within the category of Residential Design, his work had such relevance that has been mentioned in magazines such as DECO News, Revista Torrecasa, Interior Design USA, among others.

In this sense, and in a humble way, he recognizes that the secret of his success is the combination of architecture and interior design. “As an architect you have to understand that space is not an empty box. The interior and exterior are part of our daily lives. That’s why I decided to explore and study this area a few years ago. For me, it is a pleasure and a personal challenge to face interior design projects. The use of spaces, color management, and textures end up giving more personality to the structures and, in one way or another, that turns into the comfort that ends up being the objective of any project” he explains.

The kitchen with connectivity and comfort

With such an understanding of space, and given his broad experience in the area, Inpiringgoodliving dared to ask him direct questions related to kitchen design.

-If you could give us 3 tips to have a dream kitchen what would they be?

-I think the kitchen is the most important space of the house. The meeting place par excellence for the family in their daily life and for the guests who, little by little, are part of that extended family. For that same reason, you must not try to spare costs on it. So, in my opinion, the three key points to have a dream kitchen should be, first, comfort and operational functionality; second, proper lighting (because not only is a space for enjoyment, but also an area where delicate works take place), therefore, everything must be easily seen; and finally, avoiding getting carried away by the experience of friends, neighbors, etc. The kitchen inevitably speaks of your personal lifestyle. While we can follow aesthetic trends, by making the investment to work in this space, we must be certain of who we are, because after completion it is difficult to make changes to the kitchen. That is precisely why I recommend the use of neutral colors that last in time and are not as variable as the colors of the season.

Now, what seems to be a bit of a difficult topic among some architects and designers is the importance of household appliances as part of the harmonious orchestration of the kitchen. However, Fernando Delfino, speaks about the topic with ease because for him appliances are the most important elements of that system that we have called kitchen. “They are the functional center of any kitchen and as such must be in the capacity to provide technology and comfort of use, as well as beauty to achieve the necessary harmony in this space.”

Another subject related to the above is certainly AI (Artificial intelligence) and its triumphant entrance into the kitchen. In this regard Delfino states that, even though this subject is in constant development and evolution, which is why there must be a balance, it is important to prepare the space for integration. “This way, connectivity will end up providing the comfort that the kitchen requires for the development of today’s life,” he adds.

Of trends and other domains

As it happens in other areas of life, trends are an important part of what should or shouldn’t be included in a kitchen, as well as anything related to the materials, textures and colors to be used, and more recently, how the space should be distributed. An aspect that we wished to ask Delfino about was the evident trend for open kitchens.

-In favor or against open kitchens? Don’t you think this trend has taken away majesty from the kitchen? What’s your opinion?
-I think there are criteria for the application of an open or closed design concept. First, the space available in square meters. Second, the lifestyle of the users and finally, you have to consider that the majesty of the kitchen is linked to the design of the same, beyond the open-design concept. So, on the contrary, the more prominence it has, the more aesthetic importance it will have in the overall design of the house.

Another trend that is very popular today and that we talked about with this specialist, is people’s desire to have the comfort of a professional kitchen at home. Fernando Delfino answers our question stating that beyond the budgetary issue for that purpose, the most important thing is to be clear about what is really going to happen in that space.

-What I mean by that is that you should buy what you are really going to use. An appliance exists in the kitchen to facilitate a specific operation or task, not to be displayed without any function. Instead, we must choose the proper and necessary appliance or just leave that space available for storage. Any decision taken lightly in terms of the design of a kitchen not only represents economic costs, but also usable space.

Such an answer motivated us to ask about what would be the dream kitchen of an architect/interior designer? Which appliances it would have, how big it would be and what style it would have?

This architect and designer states that, for him, it’s very difficult to think about personal projects, because there is so much information surrounding the projects contracted. However, he is encouraged to answer by asking himself the questions as a good exercise.

-It must be in a bright light grey color in combination with cherry wood. I imagine it with a low-profile white Carrara countertop and dark floors in large format. When it comes to appliances, my dream kitchen would be a combination between Gaggenau (oven and microwave), Liebherr (refrigerator and wine cabinet), and Thermador (gas cooktop). And to add a touch of color and fun to the space along with its quality, I would choose small appliances by Smeg. I think you cannot ask for more and certainly, a kitchen like that would say plenty about the love I bring into what I cook and how much I enjoy sharing in it with my loved ones, he ends.