There are objects that have remained on the fringes of our gaze for years. Necessary, obligatory, fundamental, but almost always perceived as elements to hide, to camouflage, to place where they disturb as little as possible. The fire extinguisher has long been one of these: a symbol of safety, sure, but rarely thought of as an integral part of an interior design project.
ARQ was born exactly from this fracture between function and beauty, between regulatory obligation and aesthetic quality of space. A luxury line of designer fire extinguishers that chooses to bring a technical device into the language of contemporary architecture, transforming it into a visible, coherent object, designed to inhabit residential, hospitality, contract and corporate environments without interrupting its harmony.
At Milan Design Week 2026, this vision finds one of its most significant expressions within FÒCO, the immersive path that interprets fire as creative energy, primordial matter and symbol of relationship. In a design story made up of atmospheres, surfaces, lights and materials, ARQ enters with natural coherence: not as a simple safety feature, but as an aesthetic presence capable of communicating with the environments.
FÒCO and fire as narrative material
Inside FÒCO, spaces become emotional and narrative environments. Fire is not only a physical element, but a symbolic principle, energy that transforms, warms, illuminates and builds relationships. In this context, the presence of ARQ takes on a particularly interesting value because it shifts attention to a theme often removed from the story of living: safety as part of design quality.
No longer a technical element to be added at the end, when the environment has already been defined, but an object to be integrated from the beginning, choosing its finish, location and visual presence in relation to the space. This is where the fire extinguisher stops being a false note and becomes a conscious detail.
In the main room designed by Studiopepe, the ARQ fire extinguisher in burgundy bespoke finish fits into a warm and sophisticated palette, composed of brown tones, metallic reflections and enveloping shades. The result is an object that does not interrupt the narrative of the environment, but follows its chromatic and material rhythm, demonstrating how customization can transform safety into a true furnishing element.
From the home to hospitality, up to corporate spaces
The strength of the ARQ project lies in its ability to adapt to different aesthetic languages. In the room dedicated to Samsung and 3M, the matt black finish interprets a more essential and architectural code. Between clean surfaces, invisible technology and contemporary materials, the fire extinguisher interacts with minimal environments, executive offices, executive lounges and corporate spaces with high technological content.
The gold chrome finish, present in the BTicino room, opens up a more decorative and scenographic dimension. It reflects light, enhances details and finds an ideal location in boutique hotels, suites, prestigious lobbies, private residences and environments where elegance and representation are an integral part of the identity of the space.
The silver chrome versions, scattered along the route, show the more transversal vocation of the product. The refined neutrality of the finish allows ARQ to fit in with balance in contemporary living rooms, receptions, wellness areas, premium catering and contract environments, moving from the most rigorous minimalism to warmer and more material contexts.
The rose gold finish also expands the aesthetic vocabulary of the collection, bringing the product closer to the worlds of lifestyle, beauty, fashion retail and residences with a sophisticated taste, where it is often the details that determine the overall perception of the environment.
The outdoor theme and the new idea of living
The presence of ARQ in the outdoor areas of the project is also particularly significant, including terraces, gardens, braziers and open air convivial areas. A choice that intercepts an increasingly current theme: outdoor spaces are no longer simple appendages of the home or hospitality, but true extensions of living.
In these contexts, having an immediately available facility represents a responsible and common sense choice. The terraces, gardens, external lounge areas and spaces dedicated to conviviality deserve the same attention reserved for the interiors, especially when the fire becomes part of the experience through braziers, outdoor fireplaces or scenographic solutions designed to create atmosphere.
The presence of ARQ at FÒCO thus becomes a concrete demonstration of the brand’s vision: certified and approved fire extinguishers capable of harmoniously fitting into the most advanced contexts of high-end living, hospitality and contract.
The luxury line born inside XFire
ARQ is a luxury line of designer fire extinguishers created within XFire, an Italian company founded in 1976 and a point of reference in the fire safety and corporate training sector. Each ARQ fire extinguisher is entirely designed in Italy and certified by Bureau Veritas Italia.
The finishes — rose gold, gold, silver, matte black and the new bespoke colors — are the result of galvanic and chrome plating treatments carried out on each component, from the valve to the hose, from the tank to the bottom. A care that moves the product away from the logic of the standardized product and brings it closer to that of the designed object, designed to dialogue with the materials, colors and atmospheres of a specific environment.
The collection includes certified fire prevention devices, approved fire extinguishers and Eiffel and Louvre floor lamps, available in two heights and in all the finishes of the range.
The Bespoke service also allows you to develop tailor-made solutions in collaboration with architects and brands: customizable textures, colors and surface treatments make each device a unique piece, designed for that specific environment.
Marco Vacca’s intuition
At the basis of ARQ is the intuition of Marco Vacca, CEO & Founder of ARQ —
Those spaces, designed down to the smallest detail, often housed anonymous, standardized, visually invasive fire prevention devices. The most common response was always the same: hide them, or agree to pay a fine so as not to see them. ARQ was created to overturn this perspective.
“Safety does not allow exceptions. Yet, I chose to overturn this rule, transforming a fire prevention device into a design element. ARQ was born from a crazy idea, from the belief that protection also deserves beauty.”
Today ARQ works closely with architects and design studios, anticipates the design instead of intervening after the finished construction and develops the BIM files of its products to integrate into the digital flows of the contemporary project.
Each piece is produced one by one, like a haute horlogerie object: no warehouse, no seriality. Each ARQ was created for a specific place.
Participation in Milan Design Week 2026 confirms this trajectory. Not a simple fair presence, but a conversation with the world of architecture and design, where even safety can finally stop hiding and become part of the beauty of a space.
