{"id":402060,"date":"2026-04-20T17:41:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T17:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/402060\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T17:41:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T17:41:20","slug":"ikea-pairs-designers-with-chefs-to-rethink-domestic-spaces-in-milan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/402060\/","title":{"rendered":"IKEA pairs designers with chefs to rethink domestic spaces in Milan"},"content":{"rendered":"

IKEA<\/a> has unveiled an exhibition where designers and chefs team up to create a series of food<\/a>-focused domestic spaces at Milan design week<\/a>, as captured in this video<\/a> produced by Dezeen.<\/p>\n

Named Food for Thought<\/a>, the exhibition<\/a> explores how cooking<\/a> and eating rituals shape the design of everyday environments.<\/p>\n

IKEA’s Food for Thought exhibition features interiors based on different recipes<\/p>\n

The exhibition takes place at Spazio Maiocchi in Milan’s Porta Venezia district and features five room sets, each based on a different recipe, that reinterpret domestic spaces through spatial design and culinary experience.<\/p>\n

Each room was developed by a creative duo consisting of an interior designer and food designer, who were tasked with translating a specific recipe into a domestic setting.<\/p>\n

\"KitchenEach day there will be live cooking demonstrations led by the designer-chef duos<\/p>\n

The spaces are activated daily through live cooking demonstrations led by the designer-chef duos, turning each interior into a functioning setting rather than a static display.<\/p>\n

The overall spatial concept was developed with long-term collaborators architect Midori Hasuike<\/a> and spatial designer Emerzon, who created a cohesive environment across the different elements of the venue.<\/p>\n

\"AMaye Ruiz and Rosio Sanchez designed a living room based on communal cooking<\/p>\n

Interior designer Maye Ruiz<\/a> and chef Rosio Sanchez<\/a> created the living room<\/a> installation based on their shared Mexican heritage and culinary traditions shaped by communal cooking and gathering.<\/p>\n

It features cosy, enveloping seating and floor-level arrangements, allowing food to be shared across sofas and at ground level, with integrated surfaces replacing the traditional dining table to enable relaxed, informal dining.<\/p>\n

\"ACharlotte Taylor and Ben Lippett created a bedroom that reimagines eating in bed<\/p>\n

In contrast, architect Charlotte Taylor<\/a> and chef Ben Lippett<\/a> created a bedroom<\/a> that reimagines eating in bed as an everyday ritual rather than an occasional indulgence.<\/p>\n

The cocoon-like interior, which was designed to evoke the comfort of hotel room service, features integrated ledges and moveable furniture to ease the shift between resting and dining throughout the day.<\/p>\n

\"ALydia Chan and Alessandra Lauria designed a kitchen for families to cook together<\/p>\n

In the kitchen<\/a>, the focus shifts to play, tactility and learning, with a layout designed to accommodate both adults and children cooking together.<\/p>\n

Designer Lydia Chan<\/a> and pasta maker Alessandra Lauria<\/a> created a kitchen where stools, worktops and surfaces are scaled at different heights for both adults and children, allowing them to occupy the same space comfortably.<\/p>\n

The IKEA Mammut stools<\/a> were repurposed as workstations, while writable walls and brightly coloured ingredients such as pasta and dough reinforce the idea of cooking as a creative, hands-on process for families.<\/p>\n

\"AMehek Malhotra and Maurizio Tentella created a dining room for informal gathering<\/p>\n

The dining room<\/a> explores the social choreography of shared meals through a deliberately informal layout that encourages guests to gather and linger, with food acting as a catalyst for interaction.<\/p>\n

Created by Mehek Malhotra<\/a> and Maurizio Tentella<\/a>, the space layers mismatched chairs, textiles and tableware to evoke a more “lived-in” setting.<\/p>\n

\"AOliver Lyttelton and Tina Choi designed a compact studio focused on solo dining<\/p>\n

A studio living space developed by Oliver Lyttelton<\/a> and Tina Choi<\/a> completes the series, positioning solo dining as an intentional experience rather than a passive one.<\/p>\n

The room uses lighting, material contrast and carefully positioned furniture to frame eating alone as a deliberate, sensory ritual to encourage moments of pause and reflection.<\/p>\n

\"IKEA'SThe exhibition includes a cafe lined with IKEA’s Billy bookcases<\/p>\n

The exhibition extends beyond the interiors into a wider venue with a courtyard market inspired by Swedish food halls, alongside a cafe framed by IKEA’s Billy bookcase<\/a> and a food kiosk offering customised food.<\/p>\n

Alongside the installation, IKEA<\/a> is presenting three new products from the 10th edition of its IKEA PS collection<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"ColourfulLex Pott designed a rotating floor lamp for IKEA’s PS 2026 collection<\/p>\n

These include a metal floor lamp by Lex Pott<\/a>, made from a cylindrical tube cut at an angle to create a clean diagonal joint that allows the top section to rotate and direct the light.<\/p>\n

The launch also includes a rocking bench by designer Marta Krupi\u0144ska<\/a>, featuring exaggerated curved runners that allow the entire seat to gently rock.<\/p>\n

\"AMikael Axelsson designed an easy chair with inflated cylindrical cushions<\/p>\n

The third piece is an easy chair by Mikael Axelsson<\/a>, with inflated cylindrical cushions forming a soft, oversized seat with a balloon-like lightness that makes it easier to move than a conventional upholstered chair.<\/p>\n

According to IKEA, Food for Thought reflects a growing tendency at Milan design week towards hybrid formats that position design as something to be experienced through interaction rather than observation.<\/p>\n

Food for Thought<\/a> is on show at Spazio Maiocchi in Milan from 21 to 26 April 2026. See our Milan design week 2026 guide<\/a> on Dezeen Events Guide<\/a> for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks that took place throughout the week.<\/p>\n

Partnership content<\/p>\n

This video was produced for IKEA<\/a> as part of a partnership. Find out more about our partnership content here<\/a>.<\/p>\n