An unexpected fact: Italy has a slightly higher number of vegetarians than many other European countries. And above all, he generally eats less meat. A phenomenon that is spreading rapidly, especially among young people, who are more sensitive to ethical issues and less prone to blindly trust the food industry. With all due respect to fast food restaurants, which are equipped and offer vegan alternatives. Do they like it? It is not "the real thing" of course. But the data suggests that by 2050 half of the world's population will be predominantly vegetarian. This is how I explain 20 thousand followers of Andrea Capodanno, a young Milanese instagrammer who with a disarming Zen attitude and a wide eye explains in 90 seconds how to make a completely vegan four-tier cake. But the point, obviously, is to take care of oneself and of what is around us.

Italian design is impeccably in trend. The kitchen at these latitudes always translates into the heart of the home, at least since the bourgeoisie has absorbed the idea of transforming the space around the stove into a place of conviviality. Probably with a sigh of relief from most people: everyone likes to be near a fire, even an induction one. Italian brands continue to pay attention to natural materials. Stones, marbles and wood are synonymous not only with durability and quality, but also with a certain attention to the values of sustainability and the care of local products. And, of course, the transition to production models that are attentive to the product life cycle, from the origin of the materials to the disassembly of the complex parts that make up the kitchen.

Modulnova interprets the linear aesthetic of the Blade project with the functional blocks of Piasentina stone in the ribbed finish and cedar wood for the fronts of the Frame equipped columns. The wall-mounted furniture takes up the materiality and solidity of the 1950s and uses traditional materials, such as Milan walnut. The shallow but large sink cites the cuisine of colonial houses and a peasant tradition that is at the root of the movements for a healthier, zero-kilometer diet capable of enhancing local products. Slow Food, which a few years ago seemed like a niche for ethical and inspired gourmets, is increasingly becoming a collective cultural heritage. Exactly like taking root, once again, in a geometric and linear kitchen project, but deeply linked to the values of tradition and its forms.

In the latest models by Veneta Cucine there is a taste for wood paneling, for niches and walls that interpret the function of the ancient buffet. And the inevitable presence of wood in the tops and in the peninsula tables, as if to say that the wooden table is still an indispensable piece of a hot kitchen, to be really used to get together and take care of food. There is also attention to natural finishes, which revive the raw appearance of the wood. Milan, one of the most architectural proposals of the Venetian brand, is also offered in light knotty oak, a not very elaborate material that shows the beauty of natural veins. In a contemporary setting, it is the visual presence that daily brings attention back to an aesthetic that admits little sophistication.

In the opening, objects for the table by Memòri studio handmade in Morocco according to ancestral craft techniques, using only local raw materials. Ph. Eve Campestrini; Set & Flower Design: Amy Humphreys.

In the article, nipple pasties created by the Italian-German designer Ava Wolff clike tasty micro-worlds. Inspired by the etymology of the word pasties, or pastries, Foro Studio, new art director of the brand, he staged a sophisticated mignon pastry.