THE KITCHEN IS IN THE LIVING ROOM: HOME DESIGN AND DÉCOR TV SHOWS AND LIFESTYLES AMONGST MIDDLE CLASSES IN SÃO PAULO

Abstract

In this paper we aim to better understand the propagation of new ways of living among the middle classes in São Paulo, more specifically, the trends known in the real estate market as “American kitchen” or “gourmet kitchen” and “gourmet balcony”. With reference to Pulici’s (2011) argument that the São Paulo elites do not like this kind of kitchen’s layout, and from the perception that the so-called “open concept” is a constant prescription in lifestyle media TV shows about home, renovation and design, we propose the hypothesis that it was aimed at some sector of the middle classes. We corroborate the argument through various research techniques, as bibliographical research, systematic audience of TV shows that circulate worldwide on pay-TV channels, documentary research on architecture, real estate and tourism blogs, among others. In the end, it is suggested that the new concept of  “good living” is related to a more general change, that encompasses other aspects of the middle classes’ lifestyle, such as, for example, its entry into the world of gastronomy.