OTHER ARTICLES
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April 2024 • Giulia Guzzini
Contemporary cuisine in 10 keywords
We called upon eight prominent figures whose professional paths cross the orbit of the food creation universe in its broadest sense (chefs, food designers, product designers, and manufacturers). We asked them to define the current world of kitchens through a significant word. One keyword. And one of them chose three keywords. This project, seemingly a game but truly a profound exercise, revealed an active vision that includes responsibility, simplicity, beauty, and a deep respect for natural resources and raw materials. Factors like being able to adapt to spaces and the importance of rediscovering the pleasure of hospitality define the kitchen as the soul of the home. This is the place imbued with memories where the home and social spheres merge, creating an environment that is intimate and open at once.
Decantation,
integrity, and beauty
integrity, and beauty
Alberto Alessi, presidente Alessi
Alessi’s mission is to be a bridge between international creativity and the desires of the people to make objects that are expressions of our times. An essential element is studying our present-day. As Alberto Alessi sees it, there are three keywords that can help us understand the present: decantation, integrity, and beauty. Decantation is about observing and metabolizing the present to let the best ideas rise to the surface. Integrity provides clarity, concentration, and focus, allowing us to fully live in the present without interference. Managing to grasp beauty, even in its subtlest nuances, is an essential capacity for those who know how to understand and experience the present day. Alessi considers design a discipline that brings a little transcendence into our consumer society, making a distinction between function and feeling.
Alessi’s mission is to be a bridge between international creativity and the desires of the people to make objects that are expressions of our times. An essential element is studying our present-day. As Alberto Alessi sees it, there are three keywords that can help us understand the present: decantation, integrity, and beauty. Decantation is about observing and metabolizing the present to let the best ideas rise to the surface. Integrity provides clarity, concentration, and focus, allowing us to fully live in the present without interference. Managing to grasp beauty, even in its subtlest nuances, is an essential capacity for those who know how to understand and experience the present day. Alessi considers design a discipline that brings a little transcendence into our consumer society, making a distinction between function and feeling.
Homecoming
Margo Schachter, food e lifestyle editor
Margo Schachter is a journalist who has specialized in the food sector for almost twenty years. She writes about kitchens to bring the discussion around to other matters. She does so observing how the attention has shifted from the outside space of the restaurant to the personal, inside space of the home. This homecoming means we are inviting friends to dinner again, affecting how we interact with food. The new interest in the home space as a place to entertain guests is bringing major changes both to the cuisine, where there is growing appreciation for traditional cooking methods as opposed to the “fine dining” that was a trend until recently, and to the entire environment. This is an interesting reversal of perspectives so that the restaurants are inspired by the informal comfort of the home rather than the other way around.
Margo Schachter is a journalist who has specialized in the food sector for almost twenty years. She writes about kitchens to bring the discussion around to other matters. She does so observing how the attention has shifted from the outside space of the restaurant to the personal, inside space of the home. This homecoming means we are inviting friends to dinner again, affecting how we interact with food. The new interest in the home space as a place to entertain guests is bringing major changes both to the cuisine, where there is growing appreciation for traditional cooking methods as opposed to the “fine dining” that was a trend until recently, and to the entire environment. This is an interesting reversal of perspectives so that the restaurants are inspired by the informal comfort of the home rather than the other way around.
Chameleon-like
Antonio Rodriguez, designer, Matteo Thun & Partners
Antonio Rodriguez sees the contemporary kitchen as a chameleon that seeks to blend into the home environment rather than be hidden as it once was. The result is a space more like a living room with home appliances and handles being hidden and technological advancements that make it possible to have features like large drawers openable with a simple touch. This revolution is oriented towards practicality and ease of cleaning and highlights the importance of material choices. Rodriguez favors natural and durable materials, applying an approach that goes beyond green to be fully eco-conscious including using solid wood, water-based paints, and recycled or recyclable materials. This highlights his attention to both the material and aesthetic aspects.
Antonio Rodriguez sees the contemporary kitchen as a chameleon that seeks to blend into the home environment rather than be hidden as it once was. The result is a space more like a living room with home appliances and handles being hidden and technological advancements that make it possible to have features like large drawers openable with a simple touch. This revolution is oriented towards practicality and ease of cleaning and highlights the importance of material choices. Rodriguez favors natural and durable materials, applying an approach that goes beyond green to be fully eco-conscious including using solid wood, water-based paints, and recycled or recyclable materials. This highlights his attention to both the material and aesthetic aspects.
The deconstructed table
Mariangela Negroni, table stylist Funky Table
Funky Table is a treasure trove for lovers of interior decor opened by table stylist, Mariangela Negroni, several years ago in the heart of Milan. Her vision of elegant table settings has refined over time, expressively a decorative vocabulary that elevates the idea of a deconstructed table, free of exact rules. She has long been actively exploring the concept of individual plates becoming part of a collective story and recounting the evolving concept of conviviality. These thoughts emerge from a mix of objects brought together from family heritage pieces, travel memories, local traditions, and current trends. This “melting pot” creates a story that gives value to the joy of sharing at the table in a sophisticated balance between tradition and cosmopolitanism.
Funky Table is a treasure trove for lovers of interior decor opened by table stylist, Mariangela Negroni, several years ago in the heart of Milan. Her vision of elegant table settings has refined over time, expressively a decorative vocabulary that elevates the idea of a deconstructed table, free of exact rules. She has long been actively exploring the concept of individual plates becoming part of a collective story and recounting the evolving concept of conviviality. These thoughts emerge from a mix of objects brought together from family heritage pieces, travel memories, local traditions, and current trends. This “melting pot” creates a story that gives value to the joy of sharing at the table in a sophisticated balance between tradition and cosmopolitanism.
Complex simplicity
Franco Driusso, art director, Arrital
The kitchen is, without question, the heart of family life – a place that is the quintessence of intimacy and also takes on a social role. The space reveals our values and becomes a stage, architecture within architecture, where the familiar, one-of-a-kind show of everyday life is staged. At the center of this stage, the kitchen becomes an oxymoron: a “complex simplicity.” Despite the apparent spareness that makes everything usable, it conceals a world of complexity. Technology and innovations behind the simple lines of the kitchen experience become invisible, blending perfectly into the environment, helping create a place that is an emblem of well-being and harmony.
The kitchen is, without question, the heart of family life – a place that is the quintessence of intimacy and also takes on a social role. The space reveals our values and becomes a stage, architecture within architecture, where the familiar, one-of-a-kind show of everyday life is staged. At the center of this stage, the kitchen becomes an oxymoron: a “complex simplicity.” Despite the apparent spareness that makes everything usable, it conceals a world of complexity. Technology and innovations behind the simple lines of the kitchen experience become invisible, blending perfectly into the environment, helping create a place that is an emblem of well-being and harmony.
Memory
Casalinghe di Tokyo
In the thinking of Casalinghe di Tokyo, the creative duo, photographer Alice Schillaci and chef Lucia Gaspari, the table becomes a place of memory, where the simple act of eating together gradually becomes that ritual called “culture.” Casalinghe di Tokyo sees the human being as a species that can imagine and tell stories, projecting ourselves into myths in an expanding universe where memories can be found in distant generations. The table and the objects that fill it and the rituals that bring it to life, become a tangible symbol of giving us back time to live, a place where everything can be paused, put off. Only at the table can we grant ourselves these moments of pause, and then do so every day again.
In the thinking of Casalinghe di Tokyo, the creative duo, photographer Alice Schillaci and chef Lucia Gaspari, the table becomes a place of memory, where the simple act of eating together gradually becomes that ritual called “culture.” Casalinghe di Tokyo sees the human being as a species that can imagine and tell stories, projecting ourselves into myths in an expanding universe where memories can be found in distant generations. The table and the objects that fill it and the rituals that bring it to life, become a tangible symbol of giving us back time to live, a place where everything can be paused, put off. Only at the table can we grant ourselves these moments of pause, and then do so every day again.
Responsibility
Andrea Vigna, chef
He calls himself a “cook,” putting the focus on the importance of challenging himself and caring about substance rather than just appearance. Cooking is more than a job or a passion for chef Andrea Vigna, it’s also a responsibility. Food is a mix of necessity, entertainment, innovation, accessibility, and exclusivity, and it has become a political act, now more than ever. This spirit guides Vigna to spend his time and thoughts on his passion for food, striving to avoid reducing his culinary art to a passing fad. His creativity is fueled by returning to the source of ingredients, forging solid relationships with food producers, and drawing on the wisdom of those who know more than he does. He transforms desires and intuitions into flavors through his vibrant imagination.
He calls himself a “cook,” putting the focus on the importance of challenging himself and caring about substance rather than just appearance. Cooking is more than a job or a passion for chef Andrea Vigna, it’s also a responsibility. Food is a mix of necessity, entertainment, innovation, accessibility, and exclusivity, and it has become a political act, now more than ever. This spirit guides Vigna to spend his time and thoughts on his passion for food, striving to avoid reducing his culinary art to a passing fad. His creativity is fueled by returning to the source of ingredients, forging solid relationships with food producers, and drawing on the wisdom of those who know more than he does. He transforms desires and intuitions into flavors through his vibrant imagination.
Scarcity
Francesca Sarti, Arabeschi di latte
The creative mind behind the Arabeschi di Latte collective is Francesca Sarti. She illustrates how food – an always flexible, shifting element – is taking on new cultural and aesthetic nuances. She is an architect who has lent her talent to the world of tableware and revolutionized how we think of “food design.” She has recently focused on the theme of scarcity, prompting us to rediscover the essentials and moderate our consumption. In her work with Arabeschi di Latte, Sarti is cautious, always maintaining a style in the vein of Martin Margiela, following a minimalist trend made of subtle balances. While saying yes to moments of abundance, without giving into excess, she sees the secret of enjoying food as maintaining a sense of pleasure but with measure.
The creative mind behind the Arabeschi di Latte collective is Francesca Sarti. She illustrates how food – an always flexible, shifting element – is taking on new cultural and aesthetic nuances. She is an architect who has lent her talent to the world of tableware and revolutionized how we think of “food design.” She has recently focused on the theme of scarcity, prompting us to rediscover the essentials and moderate our consumption. In her work with Arabeschi di Latte, Sarti is cautious, always maintaining a style in the vein of Martin Margiela, following a minimalist trend made of subtle balances. While saying yes to moments of abundance, without giving into excess, she sees the secret of enjoying food as maintaining a sense of pleasure but with measure.
April 2024
Clean slate
It looked like a large vermilion mouth, ready to snap open, with two panels like lips leaning against each other near the top revealing a row of ivory plates as straight as teeth.
April 2024
Kitchens and markets
Navigating the nuances of diverse markets with both a thorough understanding of local dynamics and the implementation of strategic partnerships is essential to effectively export a sophisticated concept of “interior architecture”.