Food preparation and kitchen design will be protagonist at “The Taste of Italian Design”. The exhibition will take place in Washington from November 18 to December 4.
The Italian Embassy in Washington presents the exhibition “Il gusto del design italiano” (The Taste of Italian Design). The event, taking place from November 18 to December 4 2025, will unveil the design evolution in the Italian kitchen. Curated by Elisabetta Pisu and presented by the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington, it will open in the halls of the Italian Embassy in Washington for the Settimana della Cucina Italiana nel Mondo (SCIM, Week of Italian Cuisine inthe World).
The display of the greatest masters’ original works will show the evolution of Italian kitchenware design. 30 items explore the bond between Made in Italy design and food culture through an historical journey unfolding from the 1930s to the present. Visitors will be able to see works of some of the most representative designers, brands and objects of Italian design in the kitchen.
«Through this exhibition we celebrate two fields of the cultural heritage that make Italy renowned abroad, and in the United States in particular – says Elettra La Duca, director of the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington –. The gastronomic variety typical of our country is matched by design kitchenware that is innovative and functional and yet surprising for its peculiarity and elegance.»
On display, iconic pieces that shaped the history of food preparation and presentation and are still indissolubly tied to the collective rituals related to the kitchen table. In addition, many of the items exhibited marked a technological and social evolution. The exposition sheds light on innovative solutions and, above all, on design as representative of an era, of changing habits, values and meanings.
The evolution in the Italian kitchen
In the 1990s, Italian design revisited small appliances as espresso machines, toasters, and blenders. From small accessories designed for the mise en place to professional kitchen tools, each exhibit reveals the craftsmanship and the sense of form so typical of Italian design. A design that combines functionality, aesthetic, technological innovation, and beauty.
From the iconic lemon squeezer Juicy Salif by Philippe Starck created for Alessi in 1990, to the bold Forma cheese grater by Zaha Hadid for Alessi in 2021. From Gae Aulenti’s Toast for Trabo in 1997, to Matarél by Matteo Ragni, the rolling pin in transparent borosilicate glass in 2017, and Gio Ponti’s Conca cutlery-set produced by Sambonet for the first time in 1955.
«The processes related to preparing, serving and storing food – curator Elisabetta Pisu explains – have always been central in Italian culture since the days of Ancient Rome, as well as the research aimed at the perfect combination of functionality and style. In this way, artisans and, more recently, designers and architects created revolutionary, refined, and technological objects that became true icons renowned all over the world and now part of the history of Italian design».
Dining and Cooking