1400 MITTERTEICH

I always like to talk with professional chefs about their recipes, and I am even more intrigued by their passion for plating. For a designer, plating is a little bit like graphic work or painting, laying out shapes on a blank canvas; or like staging a play in theater, is in the background, thinking about how a single character magnetizes the scene or how a crowd of actors swells in perfect harmony. To design the three gourmet collections, Ala, Onda and Plano, I started from the idea of treating the plates as a stage and the ingredients as actors on that stage. So, in addition to exploring multiple sizes—from very large plates to small precious ones—I went further and designed a series of special ‘chef ’ plates that create an even stronger focus on the food by framing it within larger borders, or placing it asymmetrically. I thought about the main dish and the sides, I considered how the spices in the recipe would dialogue with the ‘design spices’, the decorations on the borders of the plates. In the end, the three collections are a kind of challenge for professional chefs or amateur gourmets: now that we have given you the best stage to celebrate your special recipes, surprise us with your culinary creativity! Defne Koz Three gourmet collections designed by Defne Koz ala, onda, plano