Work: Tonda

Description

Here is a more fluent and polished version of your text. I’ve enhanced the vocabulary, smoothed out the technical explanations of how the display works, and elevated the overall tone to match the sophisticated engineering of the Tonda.

“Just as there are many Italian designers who allude to Japanese minimalism, we can confidently assert that Makio Hasuike is by far the most ‘Italian’ Japanese designer there is. This is not so much because of his style, which remains faithful to the essential and rigorous character of the Land of the Rising Sun, but because he built his career as a designer in Milan.” — Chiara Alessi.

As the definitive icon of the IFI company, Tonda is the first-ever circular, rotating gelato display case. It represents an ideal fusion of an elegant, appetizing presentation and the flawless temperature preservation typical of a traditional chest freezer.

Conceived by Makio Hasuike & Co. and produced since 2005, Tonda—as its name implies—departs from the traditional linear refrigerated counter. Instead, it is a striking circular showcase crafted from crystal and polished, mirrored steel. Standing one meter high with a diameter of 140 cm, it houses gelato tubs arranged in a radial pattern. The entire inner basin rotates, effortlessly bringing the various flavors directly to the server. The vendor only needs to lift half of the circular lid to scoop the gelato, allowing them to serve customers from a comfortable, stationary, and upright posture.

This innovative circular shape and continuous rotation ensure that every flavor is kept at a perfectly uniform temperature. Visually, the colorful tubs resemble an idealized, multicolored daisy, while the ergonomics prioritize the physical well-being of the operator. The Tonda featured in this collection is kept permanently illuminated, though it is displayed without actual gelato inside.

Reflecting on Hasuike’s encounter with Italian gelato culture, Chiara Alessi observes: “Being a designer, and therefore trained in the observation of gestures, shapes, traditions, and behaviors, the thing that interested him most about gelato was not the food itself, but its container.”

Tonda – duration: 0:57
Sonic evocation of the object created by Paolo Ferrario

Further info: Tonda on IFI website