It’s long been a firm favourite of architects, while more and more interior designer are taking it to their hearts. Metal has finally managed to escape from its clichéd association with ‘workshop’ style structures. Loved by restaurant owners and aesthetes in the guise of the stainless steel that populates today’s smartest kitchens, metal accessorises our living spaces like Kim Haddou and Florent Dufourcq's kitechen. We could say that it even goes as far as giving rhythm to them by bringing a certain cachet or line. A sort of graphic addition that ranges from the base of a table – that looks so good with marble, and wood even – to a reinforcement of a piece of furniture, via neon lights, which are the new stars of the season. Its gleaming surface enhances the framework of a chair by bringing a welcome touch of modernity. This is also the case with the designs of Harry Bertoia who used and abused the elasticity of metal, even going as far as designing sounding structures thanks to the tones produced when it is drawn out and bent. His chairs and armchairs are like futuristic sculptures that have become design icons and have proven in the process that metal is also capable of being used for seating in bright colours. Whether it’s a question of creating a minimalist decor, as the architect Michele Pasini has done, or enhancing the heritage of a contemporary house, like Cristina Balducci, metal has more than ever become our best friend.