Italian maestros of air wrangling, Falmec, wowed us this year with Bellaria, an air purifier that pulled off the unlikely feat of being nice to look at, rather than resembling a dustbin with lights on.
Its main product line, however, is kitchen extractor fans, and its latest – the Falmec Sintesi – comes as a seamless, all-in-one package with a similarly fetching induction hob.
- The best induction hobs for your kitchen
- Best air purifiers for the rest of your house
- Best dehumidifiers for quelling moisture
There's no doubt that Venice's Falmec has played a Venetian blinder here (sorry). The Sintesi is a classic all-in-one for kitchen islands and those who value sleek minimalism.
Fire up the extractor from the front-mounted controls and its air blades whir open, to suck in up to 600 cubic metres of air per hour (with the boost function engaged). The unique Carbon.Zeo filter doesn't just purify the air, it also helps to 'dramatically' reduce moisture and odours.
That's because, as well as the usual activated charcoal filter, there is a layer of the mineral zeolite, which has 'high absorption capacity for organic compounds and water vapours'. It's like a kind of mineral sponge.
The induction hob part of the Sintesi is the first to pack four cooking zones into a 900mm surface area' – the norm is three. They're also Flexzones, which means that not only are they bridged together, so heat's transferred to your entire pan base, no matter how big or weirdly shaped it may be, but also that heat is only transferred to the bottom of the pan.
The Sintesi is primarily intended as a recirculation extractor – ie, the air is filtered and put back, rather than being sucked through vents to the exterior of your house. This makes it much easier to install. The space-saving and versatile design also has its motor at the back of the unit, unlike some competitors which house it underneath. You can opt to use it as a ducted extractor if you wish, however.
The extractor has nine speed levels and a boost function, with resultant noise levels from 66 DBA down to a very peaceable 47 DBA. It's rated A++ for energy efficiency.
The Falmec Sintesi costs from £3,143. UK distribution is exclusive to Euroline.