Milan’s Contraste restaurant is now a riot of colour

The colourful interior of Contraste Restaurant in Milan

(Image credit: Photography by Serena Eller Vainicher. Courtesy of Debonademo Studio)

Michelin-starred Contraste restaurant in Milan is not your ordinary dining experience. Just like its name suggests, the spot is a perfectly imperfect mix of colours, shapes and textures that is both joyful and fun.

Contraste restaurant sets a new tone Milan

Led by Uruguayan chef Matias Perdomo, Argentinean sous-chef Simon Press and Italian maître Thomas Piras, Contraste was founded in 2015 and has just been renovated by Debonademeo Studio. The project took into consideration the building’s historical and artistic heritage, functional needs linked to the restaurant’s operation, and the experiential aspect for diners.

According to the Italian design firm, the renovation of the interiors was not simply a restyling but a scientific analysis led by a technical committee, ‘revealing late 19th-century surfaces, stuccoes, decorative apparatus and frescoes’. Upon passing through a champagne-coloured entrance featuring a wall sculpture known as ‘The Secret’, diners can discover the four distinct restaurant rooms and single relaxation area that make up the new Contraste, each inspired by one of the four elements and its associated colours. Similar to a theatrical stage, a system of full-height velvet curtains in four vibrant colours opens and closes the scenes, allowing each space function independently as required.

In addition, specialists from contract design company Allestimenta, with the help of selected craftsmen, restored the building’s original elements, such as doors, windows, stucco work, frescoes, handles and the large wooden fireplace. Debonademeo also focused on designing for ‘psycho-physical and sensory comfort’, sourcing sound-absorbing curtains and floors or creating a tranquil Klein-blue relaxation area.

The entire experience offers an immersive journey of colour and contrast, where even ‘the flavours of the dishes reflect the interior’s [juxtapositions]’, say the Debonademeo team.

Contraste restaurant is located at Via Giuseppe Meda, 2, Milan, contrastemilano.it

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Sofia de la Cruz is the Travel Editor at Wallpaper*. A self-declared flâneuse, she feels most inspired when taking the role of a cultural observer – chronicling the essence of cities and remote corners through their nuances, rituals, and people. Her work lives at the intersection of art, design, and culture, often shaped by conversations with the photographers who capture these worlds through their lens.