A visual journey into the evolution of the art of dining in the company of Alessi, the iconic brand who has been interpreting and anticipating trends and new design styles in this field for over 100 years.

For a long time, the art of entertaining served as the measuring stick to assess a hostess’s capacities, to the extent that placing a silver fork instead of a mother- of-pearl one could signify a passport to social ascension rather than failure. The art of table setting has long been deeply intertwined with the public certification of a certain status, primarily financial, of a family or even an entire social class. It was, and to some extent still is, a way to express one’s taste, but more importantly, one’s wealth and social prestige.
This need was met by the hyper- specialisation of plates, glasses, and especially cutlery, which has remained unchanged and was handed down through generations until recent decades. In the last twenty years, there has been a slow but gradual evolution of table setting towards simplification, a sort of “democratisation” of the table. To visually narrate this journey, we chose to be accompanied by Alessi, an Italian company that has been producing design objects for the home and kitchen since 1921 and is now considered an icon of design due to its focus on innovative design and craftsmanship, as well as for many collaborations with renowned international designers, including Ettore Sottsass, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Stefano Giovannoni, Alessandro Mendini, Philippe Starck, Ron Arad, and many others.

What influenced the evolution of mise en place?

Firstly, social simplification, which, while preserving the value of this ritual, made the preservation of the table’s aesthetic formalism less stringent. On the one hand, there’s a growing trend towards a personalisation in the dynamics of table setting, in line with one’s own style, aesthetic taste, and culinary habits; on the other hand, there’s a certain inclination to a more minimalist mise en place. Visually, this translates into fewer objects on the table, with the elimination of the superfluous and focusing only on the essential elements. This may include, for example, the use of a single set of cutlery, and a reduced number of plates and glasses. In line with this trend, Alessi redesigned its plate collections over the years, proposing two plates for the main courses, together with a variety of differently sized plates inspired by different culinary cultures.
The reduction of the number of elements also characterised the proposal of cutlery and tableware, now composed almost exclusively of the four main utensils (fork, knife, spoon, and teaspoon). This simplification of the table is also a direct consequence of the fact that homes are increasingly compact, leading to the purchase of simpler, fewer, but more functional kitchen accessories.
Compared to twenty years ago, the mise en place was simplified by eliminating superfluous elements and focusing on the essentials. Cutlery collections have been drastically downsized in favour of sets composed of only the four main utensils. Above, the Mami cutlery set designed for Alessi by Stefano Giovannoni in 1999, below, the KnifeForkSpoon cutlery series designed by Jasper Morrison for Alessi in 2004.

The simplification of the table also affected the offer of dish collections, with sets consisting only of main course plates, or divided by size and function.

From conviviality to sharing

A second factor that contributed to this evolution is the increasing variety of food products: thanks to the greater availability of foods from around the world, people have had the opportunity to experiment with new ingredients, mixing different cuisines. This directly impacted the use of table objects. One significant example is what is called the “menage”, typically a set of containers for oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, and traditionally among the best-selling items for Alessi : it is now less considered by consumers, who are increasingly oriented towards buying new kinds of containers in order to offer a variety of condiments from various culinary cultures. It should also be noted that the sharing of different recipes and culinary traditions is also interpreted as the actual sharing of what one is eating, resulting in a fragmentation of the traditional dish system and an overall reduction of dimensions.
Over the past 20 years, the blending of different culinary traditions and the new inclination for sharing dishes at the table, contributed to the evolution of specific table objects, such as condiment holders: the traditional set for oil, vinegar, and salt has been replaced by individual items that are specific to each condiment or spice.
The growing popularity of cooking TV shows like Masterchef and Bake Off led to an increasing number of people developing a passion for cooking. Many individuals have become true “home chefs,” paying attention to ingredients and creating new recipes capable of expressing their personality and style. Home cooking has thus become a creative and rewarding activity, and the food preparation process is shared with family and friends, becoming an opportunity for bonding and conviviality.
These new dynamics have also resulted in the merging of food preparation and consumption, consequently, the objects dedicated to these two distinct moments have also fused. The new behaviours have influenced the kitchen environment itself, as in the case of a layout conception that until a few years ago was typically American: the “island”, around which one can cook for friends while nibbling on appetisers.
Today, unlike some years ago, cooking and enjoying food represents a unique moment that aims to promote socialising and conviviality, starting from the aperitif, which preparation has also evolved, becoming more elaborate and requiring the use of new accessories.

The beauty of simplicity

One last factor that has influenced the transformation of mise en place is a growing keenness for relaxation, mirroring the language of fashion and photography. Various cultural and social factors have contributed to this, like the desire to find moments of peace and relaxation within an otherwise hectic lifestyle. Relaxation thus becomes a highly sought- after attribute and is translated, in the fashion world, into the proposition of comfortable clothing with relaxed lines, and in images and messages that highlight aspects of individuality and authenticity in photography. Always attentive to expressing the spirit of the times through its products, Alessi, on the occasion of its centennial anniversary celebrations in 2021, introduced a new limited edition cutlery set imagined by fashion genius and streetwear inventor Virgil Abloh, who sadly passed away that same year. His “Occasional Objects” set upturned the old paradigm of cutlery which conceived its design as entirely related to the table. Abloh linked it instead to the human body, as if they were fashion accessories.
This democratisation and rejection of perfection in favour of a growing appreciation for natural and spontaneous aesthetics translates, in terms of mise en place, into a reduction in the number of elements, which have also shrunk in size The only exception to this simplification is the glasses, a “counter- trend” linked to the growing wine culture and therefore to the desire of enjoying it using the most appropriate objects.

ALESSI AND VIRGIL ABLOH: DISRUPTING MISE EN PLACE ETIQUETTE

In 2021, on the occasion of its 100 years anniversary, celebrating the beginning of a new century of artistic experimenting, Alessi introduced the first of two projects resulting from their collaboration with fashion designer Virgil Abloh, who passed away that same year. The first collection is called “Occasional Objects” and consists of a limited edition set of stainless steel cutlery composed of a knife, a fork, a spoon, and a singular carabiner that binds them together, both as a way to contextualise them in a new way of setting the table and as a wearable fashion accessory. The cutlery, traditionally associated with the formality of mise en place, is interpreted instead as an instrument of conviviality, free from all conventions.
In 2022, Conversational Objects was launched: a 16-piece cutlery set paired with a candlestick and a cutlery holder resembling a threaded bolt, inspired by the world of mechanical workshops. The collection aims at stimulating conversation over the ritual of the meal, envisioning the table as a stage for dialogue.


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