Francesc Rifé creates a translucent architecture for the innovative ‘AMC Kitchen Lab’ space at Espacio Cocina SICI 2026
The designer and interior architect presents a revolutionary exhibition project that will bring together both the exhibition area of ‘AMC Kitchen Lab’ and the conference and showcooking area of the next edition of Espacio Cocina SICI.The specialized trade fair for kitchen furniture and equipment has already reserved more than 50% of the planned exhibition space and anticipates a successful event alongside Feria Hábitat València, Textilhogar, and the new initiative 360 by Cevisama.
Espacio Cocina SICI has presented the new exhibition project for one of the most distinctive spaces of its next edition, which will be held from September 28 to October 1 at Feria Valencia. This is the ‘AMC Kitchen Lab’, which returns after its debut in 2024 and which in this edition will be conceptualized by renowned designer and interior architect Francesc Rifé, who will opt for a dynamic and fluid concept through translucent spaces.
In this way, Espacio Cocina SICI is committed to innovative scenarios for an edition that already points to success, with more than 50% of the planned exhibition space already reserved by exhibitors and the strong drawing power of being held jointly with Feria Hábitat València, Textilhogar, and the new initiative 360 by Cevisama, featuring the best of ceramics and bathrooms.
The kitchen as a dynamic and fluid element
The project for the ‘AMC Kitchen Lab’ 2026 space starts from a fundamental idea: the kitchen as a social threshold, a space that has historically functioned as a place for meeting, exchange, and thought. Rifé’s project recovers this primary condition, but translates it into a contemporary language where the kitchen ceases to be an exhibited object and becomes a spatial system: capable of opening, concealing, and transforming its identity according to the use at any given moment.
From kitchen to patio, from gallery to studio, the space assumes the rhythm of the fair without losing clarity or coherence. In this sense, the constructive image is based on a translucent architecture, understood not as absolute transparency, but as a filter that humanizes light and allows one to intuit what is happening inside without fully revealing it.
A permeable veil that defines the atmosphere of the project: a lightweight envelope that softens the technical aspects, orders complexity, and gives unity to the whole. The modular structure allows each exhibitor to maintain its identity, but under a common image recognizable at pavilion scale. Overall, the project seeks to offer an orderly, clear, and lively experience that responds to the needs of the trade fair without falling into unnecessary complexity.
Two spaces for the ‘AMC Kitchen Lab’
The ‘AMC Kitchen Lab’ area of Espacio Cocina SICI will be structured around two clearly defined spaces: on the one hand, the Exhibition Kitchen Lab, made up of kitchen environments of 40, 65, or 90 square meters aimed at national kitchen furniture manufacturers, international companies associated with AMC, and brands of appliances, countertops, or accessories that participate together with an interior designer to present a complete kitchen proposal.
On the other hand, the Kitchen Lab Experience, where two functional 90-square-meter stands will be located to host the official showcookings of the trade fair, turning this area into one of the most dynamic hubs of activity and content generation at the event.
Francesc Rifé
Interior architect and industrial designer, Francesc Rifé (Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, 1969) founded his studio in Barcelona in 1994. Influenced by minimalism and shaped by a family history linked to craftsmanship, he structures all his work around spatial order and geometric proportion.
Currently, Francesc Rifé leads a team of professionals from different design fields, and his national and international projects range from interior design to industrial design, architecture, concept creation, installations, graphic design, and art direction. Throughout his career, he has received several design awards such as the Contract World Awards, the Red Dot, ICFF Editors Awards, the HIP Award in Chicago, the FAD Award, and several ASCER awards.
His work has been widely published in the general press, as well as in specialized national and international publications and books. Likewise, several books compiling his most outstanding works have been published. For years he has been dedicated to teaching and plays an active role in workshops, congresses, and conferences.
2026, the major comprehensive event around the habitat
Feria Valencia will host from September 28 to October 1, 2026 the joint celebration of Feria Hábitat València, together with Textilhogar, Espacio Cocina SICI, and the new initiative 360 by Cevisama. This is a major comprehensive and multisectoral event around habitat-related sectors, with strong international appeal among profiles such as large-scale distribution and contract sector operators. This initiative is expected to exceed more than 110,000 m² of exhibition space with nearly 1,500 exhibiting companies and brands.