Essen, Germany, 14th March 2011 – The Skin cooker hood, designed by Elica Design Center chief Fabrizio Crisà, has received the “red dot award: product design 2011”, the much-coveted international recognition awarded on the basis of a project’s high level of quality.

The result of ongoing Elica research into functionality together with studies relating to form and innovative materials, Skin, after a careful examination carried out on the product, was picked out by a jury of international experts from various fields for its features of functionality, ergonomics, respect for the environment, durability and design Skin, in fact, is a cooker hood devised, through the application of cutting-edge technology, to guarantee maximum airflow and lighting performance.

Developed in full respect of ergonomic principles, its sloping body liberates the user’s gestuality and vision around the worktop during food preparation. The centre of the steel or glass round-cornered frontal panel features a large, high-performance filtration surface of micro-perforated steel, easy to remove and wash, making maintenance simplicity itself.

The control interface, echoing the look of a Seventies radio set, is composed of two circular elements (airflow intensity and dimmer illumination) positioned on the side of the frontal panel. Turning with a tuning effect, they employ user-friendly icons that offer a concrete approach in terms of usability.

The chrome-finished lighting, placed centrally above the filter, pivots so that the LED illumination can be pointed in any direction:

towards the cooktop or worktop, or even towards the ceiling, making Skin a truly multifunctional object.

And these are the features which has brought Skin one of the most important recognitions in world design, the "red dot award", created in 1955 with the aim ofhighlighting the exceptional qualities of designers and producers.

Skin, together with the other products that received the award, will be presented at an official ceremony in July at the Red Dot museum in Zollverein, Essen, in Germany.Skin, like all Elica products, brings together those key elements that make the Italian way of making things so outstanding: creativity, product detail, quality and elegance.