Gaggenau Unveils Vario Cooling Expressive Series at Milan Design Week 2026

During Milan Design Week 2026, Gaggenau unveiled its installation 'Presence' at Villa Necchi Campiglio, showcasing the new Vario Cooling Expressive series with 11 refrigeration models. The series includes refrigerators, freezers, refrigerator-freezers, and wine climate cabinets designed as architectural elements with handleless integration and modular flexibility. Industrial designer Mikkel Brandt Bugge emphasized purposeful detailing for a calm, coherent experience. The appliances feature dark brushed stainless steel, anthracite aluminum, and glass, with adaptive LED lighting and a preservation system maintaining stable temperature and humidity. Wine cabinets hold up to 110 bottles with independent climate zones and UV protection. The installation, in collaboration with Munich-based 1zu33 and realized by Conduk, integrates appliances into architecture through volumes, reflective surfaces, and controlled lighting. The kitchen's evolution from functional space to social hub is traced from Christine Frederick's 1922 circulation studies and Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky's 1926 Frankfurt Kitchen to Cold War symbolism. Gaggenau's Home Connect app enables remote monitoring and animated quick-start guides.