The kitchen is a magical world. It has always exercised a great fascination on both adults and children. It is a place made of flavors, scents, sounds, colors, rituals… The kitchen has turned over the years, until it became the real heart of the home, the perfect synthesis of form and function.

Today the kitchen is the place dedicated to conviviality, and cooking is a moment to be shared with family and friends. As the chef Nicol Maria Pucci points out in her “Manuale di cucina per bambini”, in the past children were introduced to cooking with naturalness, through knowledge, manual skills and stories – told by their mothers or grandmothers. While they were preparing meals, these women welcomed their children into the kitchen – the domestic hearth.

The kitchen designed for children

Teaching children to cook means keeping alive a cultural heritage that has been handed over generations. Inspired by this very new and at the same time ancient way of conceiving the kitchen, Francesco Vasquez is the young product designer that designed NaNa Kitchenette.

The aim of his kitchen concept, sponsored by Alta, was to devise a system that would encourage conviviality and ergonomics for children. A solution that would allow them to safely approach the stove, with a greater safety compared to traditional kitchens.

This is the NaNa concept, the mobile kitchen with height adjustment, designed for different scenarios and suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

The kitchen for fun and learning

NaNa is composed by two units, equipped with wheels: they are easily transportable, flexible and versatile in use. Moreover, the adjustable height: from a minimum of 50 cm to a maximum of 90 cm. The round shape was designed specifically to encourage cooking together and recreate a space for union, collaboration, learning and cultural growth.

NaNa concept does not intend the kitchen only as a fun opportunity to spend time together, but also as a place of culture and learning, in which the baby chefs could learn the basics of food and environmental education.

Children can experiment with new recipes and dishes next to their parents, learning about food and creating a good relationship with even the least favorite food, such as fruits and vegetables.

The right mix of aesthetics and practicality

The materials chosen for NaNa concept are resistant and durable outdoors, but also with a strong aesthetic value.

NaNa kitchen concept top and base are made of lava stone, a strong and dark material, resistant to temperature changes and easy to work. Used in Roman times, lava stone is widespread in Sicily, the young designer’s homeland.

Vasquez chose teak for the support: a very valuable wood, famous throughout the world and renowned for the beauty of the surface grain and its excellent physical properties. Water-repellent, saltiness and weather resistant: teak always ensure long term resistance and a remarkable aesthetic success. The lower base and the support between the screw and the lava stone top complex are made of Aisi 316 stainless steel, a metal alloy that is particularly resistant to corrosion, even in aggressive environments.

The transportable kitchen

The induction top of the cooking unit is surrounded by a lava stone frame, which allows to maintain the right distance between children and the hot zones. It is slightly lowered, in order to avoid the phenomenon of aquaplaning that would make the pans slip.

Another detail? In order to reveal its function and to signal the danger, the induction top has a texture that reflected on pots and pans simulates a fire. Multifunctional and versatile, the unit can be used as an additional point of support: its base acts as a container and allows to always have everything you need at hand.

The hollow underneath the lava stone top lightens the weight of the structure, creating a handle to make transportation easier and giving the possibility to install a useful bar to hang accessories and kitchen utensils.

The NaNa kitchen concept takes its name from the Disney cartoon “Peter Pan” pet dog. NaNa could be customized with different stones and finishes, in order to goes better the house style and to satisfy any aesthetic taste.

Thanks to the adjustable height and its wheels that make it easy to move, the NaNa kitchen concept gives life to a new way of living the kitchen, both inside and outside the house, and allows adults and children to cook together and share unforgettable moments around their fireplace.