VSS kitchen merges architecture, furniture and efficiency. With optimized storage and preparation furnishings, Randi’s first encounter with stainless steel was washing dishes in his mother’s restaurants as a teenager. He also honed a craft for tinkering adjacent to steel-fixing cars. With an ever emerging trend in food consumed by television in media, VSS cites chefs and their commercial work tables as the starting point for his Very Simple Kitchen idea. Customization of colors, countertop material, sinks satisfy aesthetic ambitions; modular and stainless steel, like restaurant kitchens, makes them less expensive. Steel kitchens have been a mainstay globally since the 1930s. With the rise of the 1920s Monel Metal sinks and countertops were promoted by the International Nickel Company in the US. Their resistance to corrosion by many agents including rapidly flowing sea water, hot and cold working machinery and atmospheric corrosion boasted durability and promoted hygiene. Icon of mid-century design Frank Lloyd Wright famously used stainless steel in his personal kitchen in Arizona. A few studies claim that stainless steel has a “cockroach penetration rate” that is 1/8 that of wood.
I interviewed Randi to learn more about his hometown of Bologna, his love of motorbikes and his simple design philosophy.
You grew up in Bologna and your family is in the restaurant business. What was it like growing up?
Bologna has always been synonymous with good food and is home to some of the most famous dishes in the world; the Bolognese love their restaurants. Since I was a child, my mother managed pastry shops, bars and bistros and the people that worked there were a bit like my second family. Her vision was avant-garde for Italy, he taught me to always try to create something unconventional and out of the ordinary. All of my jobs growing up revolved around food-- from delivering piadina to washing dishes at my mother's restaurants. She now owns two Italian restaurants in Bologna.
Tell me about your business and your collaborators?
I founded my company in 2018 in Bologna after design school in Milan. Our focus is “Made in Italy'' products with simple lines and competitive prices. We have six people working in the studio to keep up with the demand for our first big project - the Very Simple Kitchen. This allows Federica and I some time to develop new ideas.
Last year I opened the Lidaloro guest house as a side project with my life partner. We plan to be fully operational by spring 2022, once the pandemic dust settles. Lidaloro’s philosophy is very simple hospitality. We have renovated five apartments so far and we’d like to take over the rest and create a boutique hotel complete with a 'secret' restaurant inside the courtyard. We have a three year old named Romeo and we’ve designed it with children in mind as well.
What is Bologna in one sentence for you?
Bologna is culture, music, history, art and much more -- it cannot be told, it must be lived.
What are your favorite places?
Bologna is relatively small but it’s easy to get lost while walking around the medieval streets and I love this about it. One of my favorite places to eat is ‘Altro?' https://www.altrabologna.com/. It’s inside one of the oldest markets in Bologna, the Mercato delle Erbe. It has a bucolic, convivial and no-frills atmosphere.
Our suppliers are in Emilia Romagna, Veneto and Le Marche. I know and enjoy exploring these regions in Italy the most.
Where have you received the most inspiration when traveling?
Traveling is one of my absolute favorite things. I have fond memories of when I was 21 years old and my friends and I drove a “junkyard” car from Bologna to Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia in the summer of 2009. I then flew to Australia and eventually flew back to Italy which was much safer than riding in that little Subaru Justy.
Who has inspired you the most in life?
My Nonno, my mother’s father, was an artist and no doubt, inspired me. He married my Nonna who had a fashion boutique in Bologna. My other Nonno was a wine producer and a Millemiglia car driver from Romagna. Although I never knew him, he definitely instilled an appreciation for entrepreneurship. If I must pick one designer who I admire, it has to be Enzo Mari.
What do you do when you’re not in the studio besides spending time with your family?
Riding off-road. Enduro riding is a passion of mine. I also like repairing and modifying vehicles of any kind which was my first interaction with steel. I’m extremely proud when I don’t have to go to the mechanic for my car or bike. I'm not particularly good but it clears my mind and is a great escape from everyday life. I have 3 motorbikes now. Often I have a few more I keep around to tinker on. It was really normal to work on motorbikes as a kid growing up in Motor Valley, but we are likely the last generation of motorbike enthusiasts 😂 I ride my 1991 Honda XRV rd04 to and from the studio.
Pictured: Randi’s offroading bike; a Beta 450 enduro bike that he modified to look like a 1970s vintage enduro bike.