It started as a fire pit in the ground. Cooking the day?s hunt over open flame. As civilization evolved, the kitchen evolved alongside us. From the origins of mankind with the discovery of cooked meat to refrigeration allowing for the preservation of food, electricity and gas brought the stove inside the home and microwaves and packaged foods minimized cooking times and effort.

Today, the kitchen has a defined space inside the home but how will it perform within the context of a global society in the future" There are many systemic challenges we will face as a civilization. In the year 2050, the global population will reach 9 billion and will need solutions for a sustainable food supply, water supply, energy supply, waste management, nutrition and the socio-cultural breakdown of the family unit. How will the kitchen play a role in the life of our future cities, our countries and our planet"
Who better to consider these changes and challenges than the eager, innovative students from the Industrial Design department at Pratt Institute" Led by the creative direction of New York based architect and designer Marc Thorpe and partnered with Caesarstone, the team is working to create and exhibit the kitchen of the future at WantedDesign NYC later this month.

?At first, students hesitated how to design for the future, which is such an unknown and often frightening territory.  Once they researched the possibilities, their thinking got liberated. It was a transiti...