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Milan Design Week 2026
Eat with your mouth open

Home is where design and food meet. During Milan Design Week 2026, we brought five pairs of chefs and interior designers together to co-create a room and a menu around a real life at home scenario.

How do you make a social dinner flow? From India to Italy, Mehek and Maurizio grew up watching grandmothers turn dining tables into the heart of the home. They designed a dining room with that lived-in warmth. Mismatched chairs, because everyone has a place at the table. Milano cutlet meets vada pav. Food that puts everyone at ease.

Scroll down to shop the look, or gather some friends and try out their recipe.

A decorative dining room with blue stripe wallpaper and red and blue patterned textiles and lots of decorations.
An alter-like table with a red striped awning above and two lamps in a graphic, colourful room.
Two people sit at a table in a graphic, brightly coloured dining room at a table. They smile at the camera while holding a basket of burgers..

Mehek Malhotra

Mehek is an Indian interior designer and creative director whose work unfolds through colour, texture, culture and nostalgia. Founder of Giggling Monkey Studio, a multidisciplinary practice known for whimsical forms, vivid palettes and deeply human detail. Her work has been recognised by Architectural Digest, Vogue and the Forbes India 30 Under 30.

Mehek smiles at the camera. Behind her is a colourful green cabinet and a playful cat mask on the wall.
Maurizio smiles at the camera. He is standing next to a red and white diamond pattern table with a matching striped awning.

Maurizio Tentella

Maurizio is an Italian food curator and cultural entrepreneur whose work has reshaped Italy's contemporary food scene. Founder of Spacedelicious, co-founder of Bar Paradiso, one of Milan's most influential wine bars, and Pizza Stella, a New York-style pizzeria that has quickly become a local landmark.

A red-framed image hangs on a colourful two tone wall, above a record player on a red and white table.
A green glass-fronted cabinet filled with colourful dinnerware, with novelty objects on top.
A blue glass-fronted cabinet filled with and surrounded by decorative objects against a blue and white striped wall.

"When I'm alone, the dining table turns into this small gallery. I like stacking cookbooks and placing candles and flowers and small figurines that don't make sense. So, the table holds things that encourage conversation, even if there's no conversation."

– Mehek Malhotra
Interior Designer

Mehek smiles at the camera. Behind her is a colourful green cabinet and a playful cat mask on the wall.
A chicken burger on a blue and white patterned plate, sits on a red and white patterned dining table.
A close-up of a metal baking dish filled with chicken burgers.

"By serving something that's as casual as a cutlet in bread puts you at ease. You can walk around, listen to music, look at the books and just interact with the space," says Mehek.

"The cotoletta was the dish my grandmother made every Sunday for our family lunches. That Italian grandmother, someone who just loves feeding people, was a persona we really connected with."

– Maurizio Tentella
Chef

Maurizio smiles at the camera. He is standing next to a red and white diamond pattern table with a matching striped awning.

Recipe:
The family sandwich

The family sandwich celebrates the simple pleasure of gathering around something comforting, familiar and made to be shared. This sandwich reimagines the beloved Italian cotoletta with Indian flavours.

A crispy chicken cutlet, coated in breadcrumbs infused with warm Indian spices, is tucked inside soft Indian ladi pav. Finished with paprika mayonnaise, it’s a dish that feels both new and nostalgic.

An aerial view of a chicken burger on a blue and white plate, against a red and white graphic tablecloth.

Ingredients

Paprika mayo
150–200 g mayonnaise
1 heaped tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika
Salt, to taste

Chicken cutlet
500–600 g chicken breast
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
Breadcrumbs, to coat
Garam masala or turmeric, to taste
Oil

To assemble
4–6 ladi pav (soft Indian bread rolls)
Butter or oil

Serves 4-6 people

Step-by-step

Step 1 – Paprika mayo
Mix the mayonnaise with 1 heaped tablespoon of paprika. Add a pinch of salt if needed. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Step 2 – Breading and frying
Cut the chicken breast into small medallions, roughly the same size as the bread rolls. Dip each piece into the beaten egg with a pinch of salt, then coat in the breadcrumbs mixed with garam masala or turmeric. Heat the oil in a pan and fry for 3–4 minutes per side, until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels.

Step 3 – Assembly
Slice the ladi pav in half and lightly toast in a pan with a little butter or oil. Spread the paprika mayo on both halves, place the hot chicken inside and close.

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