"Just as was the case in other phases of history - including, but not limited to pre-modern history - today's finishes in architecture and in our habitat are characterised by figures and spaces, rather than forms, increasingly moving away from abstraction. The recurrent and once again customary presence of figures, natural references, small or large-sized ornaments and decorations, calls for a reflection on this phenomenology; this ranges from a detail in texture to the finishing elements in our interiors, to the surfaces which attribute expressive features to contemporary buildings, in a sort of new - unconscious?- reference to a materialist and naturalistic matrix in relation to the look of artifacts. This condition seemed prevalent from, for example, a walk through the grounds at the last Expo: a touch of experimentalism in the expressive display of shapes and figures inspired by nature or biophysics. This is an easy tool to 'shock the bourgeoisie': from trees of life, foliage and/or stylized woods covering pavilions/boxes, to simplified naturalistic intrusions, the character of the array of decor for our habitat - from public spaces to homes - investigates a wide range of figures mimicking nature. The texts are organised into homogeneous thematic clusters, collecting reflections and short essays, with some bibliographic annotations for each topic. The central thread connecting the text is a critical approach - in positive terms - to the relation between technology, design concept and the production of forms of artifacts"--.