As many are aware, Bangsar’s Jalan Maarof is where new homeowners tend to flock to for its swish, contemporary designer furniture showrooms. It is also along this road where two partners—Logan Lim and Bryan Yong—decided to combine their prowess and passion for Made in Italy designs with the latest exceptional entrant to this design-inflected neighbourhood.
Ciao Cucine, so named to evoke the welcoming Italian ‘hello’ and Cucine (Italian for kitchen), is a project that was two years in the making. To realise this idea, Lim and Yong tapped Matthew Lim of Matthew Lim Associates for his luxury touch, with the eventual spaces carrying an exterior theme of timeless minimalism leading into a ‘radiant mirage’ interior.
Details abound at Ciao Cucine, recalling universal balance and contemplative touches such as lighted water features, integrated greenery among the stonework, and artful use of glass mosaics to evoke the sense of nature. The following quartet of Italian brands will feature within the Ciao Cucine upon its opening early next year.
VALCUCINE
The brand began its existence in the spring of 1980. The passion of its four founding entrepreneurs would lead them to cabinetry with curved ‘soft line’ edges and recessed handles in door panels, as its first Ghianda model showcased. Fast-forward to 2025 and we find a multi-award winner known for its innovation, sustainability, well-being, and timelessness, with numerous design and architectural awards to its name.
Take, for instance, its popular Artematica collection, in which the use of ‘pure’, unpaired materials on aluminium structures, results in infinite solutions. Customers are then able to tailor the systems to their personal taste, with the Artematica kitchen enabling simpler and more casual gestures with soft closures.
SCAVOLINI
With more than 60 years of history, the Scavolini brand, founded by brothers Valter and Elvino, began as a small artisan workshop for modular kitchens in 1961 before becoming one of the country’s largest manufacturers. Its growth has attracted three generations of consumers, as well as its own evolution from craft-based to industrialised processes. As one of Italy’s shining stars in kitchens, Scavolini continues to break new ground with certifications for its environmental approaches, quality, and safety, as well as its alliance with Italian culinary star Carlo Cracco.
K-ARRAY
The innovative, high-technology professional speaker manufacturer K-array debuted in 2005. Since then, the brand—the K in its name stands for Kevlar—has continued to pioneer architectural audio solutions, delivering an unparalleled blend of high performance and premium aesthetics that minimises the size and number of speakers you need for an optimal sound experience in any specific environment. Its robust finishes also mean that K-array has become a popular choice for major commercial projects, thanks to its durability in resisting the elements and seamless integration into settings.
An example is its advanced Dolomite system, composed of four modular KDL102 units (1m each), with each module housing 16 x 2” woofers, 2 x 10” subwoofers, and 2 x 10” passive radiators. Together, they deliver exceptional clarity, an extended frequency range, and deep, impactful bass, making it a true full-range solution for premium audio applications.
GESSI
A hallmark of Italian craftsmanship, Gessi created a new style of living when it was established in 1992 by Umberto Gessi. Since then, the brand has been designing and manufacturing first-of-its-kind furnishings for bathrooms and kitchens the world over, with projects such as luxury yachts, private yachts, Bombardier Global Aircrafts, and a host of top hospitality icons, ranging from the Six Senses Ibiza and Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu to W Sardinia and Desert Rock Resort in the Red Sea.
Among its 2025 range of Private Wellness items are two from its Haute Culture collections. The first, Jacqueline, is created with bamboo roots, combining the natural beauty of this sustainable material with inimitable Italian design elegance. The second, Perle, expresses the pearl using Murano glass, natural stones, and metal, with the unique striations and inclusions of these materials making each piece of tapware a sculptural and unrepeatable creation.
Watch a preview of Ciao Cucine with thoughts from its two co-founders, Logan Lim and Bryan Yong, as well as Matthew Lim, the lead principal of MLA Design.
Photos courtesy of Matthew Lim (Matthew Lim Associates); Valcuchine; Scavolini; Gessi; K-Array.
