Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia by Vudafieri-Saverino Partners

The Studio Vudafieri-Saverino Partners has restyled a two–Michelin star restaurant: a brand new interior for “Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia” in Milan, with a project that combines traces of the past and openness to the contemporary.

Interior Design: Vudafieri-Saverino Partners
Location: Milan, Italy
Surface: 240 sq.m.
Architectural Project: Fontana Architetti
Project Manager: Alice Brunello
Photography: Santi Caleca, Paolo Terzi

From the architect: A fine line connects the desire for modernity and the attention to tradition, the expectation of something new and the warm sense of family comfort. This was the concept devoloped by the Milan-based Studio Vudafieri-Saverino Partners for “Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia”, since 1962 a symbol of Italian culinary excellence known throughout the world. The Milan’s 2-star restaurant presents restyled interiors and a new space dedicated to workshops and master classes.

Tiziano Vudafieri and Claudio Saverino have designed a cosy and intimate place - enriched with erudite references and design details - where time seems to stand still and leave room to the real star of the restaurant: the kitchen.

Vudafieri – Saverino Partners, thanks to their exceptional experience in developing new restaurant concepts (in Milan: the new Peck CityLife, Ristorante Berton, Dry Milano, Pisacco,...), has interpreted the history and the character of the place to define a bright, intimate space.

Signs from the past convey a sense of continuity with the values that have made Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia a benchmark of Italian gastronomic culture. The warm tones of canaletto walnut define the rooms, while fabrics - whose colours reflect those of the Milanese residential district where the restaurant is located - wrap round and decorate the space.

The entrance evokes the link with Milan and its history, with an original 1950s bar designed by the Milanese renowned architect Osvaldo Borsani. The wooden structure and the marble of the counter create a refined contrast with the silvery hues of the wing and the blue background that recalls the logo of the restaurant and lends depth to the room. The space is completed by velvet poufs and a large round fabric chandelier. The dove-grey and blue walls are decorated with full height canaletto walnut strips that add rhythm to the space, hiding openable doors and storage cupboards.

Walnut strips also define the rooms, adorning the walls and creating plays of light and shade, favoured by the changes in section. Wood also features in the windows, covering the soffits and creating a framework around them, like in the old Milanese houses in the district.

The linen-effect wallpaper envelops the space, while iconic mirrors with irregular shapes - two unique pieces by Giampiero Romanò - give a touch of irony and lightness to the rooms. The wood and fabric chairs, designed specifically for the restaurant, recall Milanese design of the ‘50s and come in three different shades of green and blue.

A series of photographs of Aimo and Nadia and their restaurant from the beginnings hang in the long corridor that distributes the spaces. A major part of the wall shows documents, letters and telegrams sent over the years by guests, both illustrious and unknown, expressing their thoughts, compliments and emotions. The Theatrum of flavours - The project features also of new space: the Theatrum of flavours, a place where local ingredients and raw materials are used for meetings and master classes. While in the restaurant the interior design project aimed to create a neutral, relaxing atmosphere with a focus on the gastronomic experience, for the Theatrum the aim was to enhance the convivial aspect of the space, through the choice of strong materials and colours.

The space is dominated by the imposing cedar wood table with iron base, and two lighting installations - designed by Vudafieri Saverino Partners - which are reflected in the magnificent Arclinea kitchen. The installations are characterised by copper sheets acting as a unifying element between the two main areas of the space. From the first sheet - positioned above the table - hang numerous Antonangeli lamps, while from the second - in the kitchen - hang three luminous objects covered in copper leaves and created ad hoc, again by Antonangeli.