In the contemporary design landscape, international awards serve as a beacon distinguishing authentic excellence, where form and function merge into creations meant to last. Faber, the Italian brand synonymous with innovation in the cooker hood sector, celebrates a major milestone with the 2025 Good Design Award granted to the T-Shelf hood, a model that redefines the boundaries between technical appliance and sculptural furniture.
In this article, we explore the award and its history, examining the innovative design of the T-Shelf, the reasons for its success, and its role in Faber’s leadership.
GOOD DESIGN AWARDS: THE VALUE OF A PRESTIGIOUS RECOGNITION
Founded in 1950 by visionaries such as Eero Saarinen and Charles and Ray Eames under the patronage of the Chicago Athenaeum, the Good Design Award is the world’s longest-standing and most authoritative honour for design excellence. Created to celebrate objects that elevate daily life through a flawless balance of harmony and utility, it has assessed generations of innovations, selecting only those capable of shaping the cultural dialogue around modern living.
The 2025 edition recorded a record number of over 1,100 entries from 55 countries, proving the growing interest in solutions responding to the needs of an evolving world. Among them, Faber’s T-Shelf hood stood out as the winner in the Household category, praised for its ability to transform a functional element into a suspended architectural piece — ideal for contemporary kitchens that connect seamlessly with living spaces.
THE AWARD FOR FABER’S T-SHELF HOOD
The T-Shelf presents itself as an island hood with a sleek profile, defined by a slender metal frame supporting smoked matte glass shelves that create an airy, dynamic volume. Its modular dimensions — from 90 to 180 cm — and compact depth of 50 cm make it a discreet centrepiece above kitchen islands, while perimeter extraction at 700 m³/h ensures efficient removal of vapours even in large spaces.
The jury awarded its minimalist aesthetic, reminiscent of an artistic installation, combined with advanced technologies such as touch controls integrated into the glass.
Sustainability plays a key role here: 95% recyclable materials and regenerable filters align it with the strictest environmental efficiency standards.
WHY THIS RECOGNITION IS SPECIAL
What makes distinctive the Good Design Award, is that it adopts a holistic approach, evaluating the lasting impact on the end user. With the T-Shelf, Faber offers a design that integrates functional shelves for utensils or spices—turning an operational void into a practical opportunity.
For consumers, this distinction embodies an intrinsic guarantee: a product combining timeless beauty, certified performance, and enduring value.
Choosing T-Shelf means investing in an element that appreciates over time, free from aesthetic or technical obsolescence, elevating the entire kitchen composition to a premium space.
DESIGN AND FUNCTIONALITY FOCUS OF THE T-SHELF
Designed for open-space kitchens, the T-Shelf floats above the cooking area, preserving a sense of height and visual continuity. The integrated shelves, each with a load capacity of up to 15 kg, store herbs, oils or recipe tablets, while the dual LED lighting — 2,000 lumens adjustable — provides both diffuse and focused illumination, eliminating shadows during meal prep.
Its practical benefits extend to comfort: extraction can operate in recirculation or ducted mode, adapting to complex layouts, with automatic synchronisation with induction hobs and easy maintenance thanks to dishwasher-safe filters.
The minimalist aesthetic, in matte black or satin steel, harmonises with lacquered fronts, veined quartz or treated woods, acting as a compositional focal point without overpowering.
AN AWARD THAT STRENGTHENS FABER’S LEADERSHIP
Faber consolidates its virtuous position in international design: following the Red Dot and Compasso d’Oro, the Good Design Award for the T-Shelf — one of 24 award-winning brand products — establishes the company as a global benchmark.
Unlike industry-specific awards centred on single performance metrics, this recognition celebrates total integration, distinguishing Faber within a market dominated by short-lived solutions.
This continuity reflects a production philosophy rooted in certified European supply chains, using hypoallergenic materials and guaranteeing product lifecycles over 15 years, anticipating EU directives on appliance durability.
TOWARDS THE GOOD DESIGN SHOW
The prestige of the award will be amplified next month with the GOOD DESIGN Show – The Show of Winners 2025–2026, an exclusive event gathering top-ranked projects for immersive exhibitions and dialogues with designers.
Here, the T-Shelf will be among the protagonists, offering visitors the chance to experience its visual impact and tactile innovations firsthand.
CONCLUSION
The Good Design Award is not merely a trophy, but a validation of Faber’s commitment to creating kitchens where technology and beauty coexist.
The T-Shelf model perfectly embodies this vision, inviting us to rethink the hood as a living piece of furniture — enriching everyday home life with understated elegance and intelligent practicality.
