The Michelin-starred restaurant Contraste in Milan, renowned for its innovative cuisine and unique atmosphere, recently reopened its doors after a significant renovation. Founded in 2015 by three friends and partners – Uruguayan chef Matias Perdomo, Argentine sous-chef Simon Press and Italian maître Thomas Piras – Contraste is located on the mezzanine floor of an early nineteenth-century building. It serves as a quiet escape from the noise of the city featuring intimate dining rooms designed to ensure the utmost attention to service and guest care.
The restyling project, signed by Debonademeo Studio, renewed the rooms through a versatile and immersive layout, characterized by a sense of natural fluidity. The large main hall has been transformed and divided into four distinct zones that flow into one another, each inspired by natural elements and characterised by a colour that evokes them. A system of draped curtains, similar to theatre wings in vibrant colours, opens and closes as required. Each area has its unique character, offering diners a different experience each time they visit the restaurant. Particular attention has been paid to the dining experience: thanks to the study of acoustics and the use of sound-absorbing curtains and floors, it is possible to enjoy the new menu sitting at quiet tables. What’s more, the attentive lighting emphasises the daylight through the large windows during the day and softly creates pathways and corners of dim light in the evening.
The project focused on connecting the historical soul of the location with the modern style of the interior design. The renovation of the interiors was developed from a scientific analysis led by a technical committee, that brought to light surfaces, stuccoes, decorative elements and frescoes from the late 19th century. Specialised restorers were also involved in the recovery of the building's original elements. The aesthetic search for new surfaces, such as the vinyl flooring in terrazzo bands of pink, blue, light grey and anthracite, the boiserie and wall coverings, was intended to give character and dynamism to the restaurant's spaces.
Pedrali furniture was chosen to characterise the rooms of the restaurant: Ester armchairs and Inox round tables. Designed by Patrick Jouin, Ester is a mix of elegance, ergonomics and functionality. It is a precious monolith of leather with soft and graceful lines, here proposed in the neutral shade of beige completed by refined die-cast aluminium legs. The upholstered shell in polyurethane foam with elastic belts offers great comfort. Inox is a simple and functional table, the base and the column in antique brass finish confer identity to the space. Here in a bar table version, with a Fenix finish in fluorescent orange, it fits in the secluded Klein blue relax lounge.
Thanks to this restyling, the name of the restaurant becomes not only a reference to the gastronomic offerings that made it famous, but also an immersive journey through contrasting sensations. The flavours of the dishes find their equivalent in the perceptual alternation of the interiors, that alternate between cold and warm colours, rough and smooth surfaces, historical elements and contemporary pieces of furniture.