Contraste restaurant in Milan is a beautiful cacophony of colour, form and texture
Michelin-starred Contraste restaurant reopens its doors following a vibrant renovation by Debonademeo

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
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
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.
-
Wallpaper* checks in at MACAM Hotel: a night at the museum
Portugal’s first hotel-museum is home to 600 pieces of modern and contemporary art and 64 rooms for the ultimate artistic immersion
By Mary Lussiana
-
This joyful Henri Matisse pottery collection is your new summer entertaining essential
After years at the helm of American ceramics company East Fork, the artist’s great-grandson is ready to embrace his family name
By Anna Fixsen
-
This knitwear collaboration is a playful exploration of the role of the fashion critic
Waste Yarn Project has collaborated with Wallpaper* contributing editor Dal Chodha on a sweater adorned with extracts from his 2020 book ‘Show Notes’, collated while reviewing the menswear shows for Wallpaper*
By Zoe Whitfield
-
Sun-soaked European destinations to visit in spring
Dreaming of Florentine palazzos and Greek islands now that the weather is starting to turn? Check into one of these beautiful European hotels and holiday homes
By Anna Solomon
-
Everything you need to know about Italy's Lake Maggiore, according to Formafantasma
From baroque gardens to panoramic views, Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin show us around this Italian escape
By Sofia de la Cruz
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Romeo Roma: a new hotel that’s one of Zaha Hadid’s last projects
Located within Rome’s Tridente, Romeo Roma is a palimpsest of periods in which the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid left her avant-garde mark
By Sofia de la Cruz
-
Five influential women hoteliers reflect on the changing face of hospitality
As women continue to gain ground in the hotel sector, despite still being underrepresented in senior positions, five female moguls share their experiences of the past and projections for the future
By Anna Solomon
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy design
There’s more magic to the movies at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s ‘flying’ roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
By Sofia de la Cruz
-
The best Milan bars for a fashionable aperitivo
Milan’s after-dark renaissance is evident in a new wave of design-led cocktail bars, setting the right mood for enticing aperitivos and nightcaps; Milan editor Laura May Todd recommends the best
By Laura May Todd
-
How Four Seasons Hotels became The White Lotus’ unofficial star
As The White Lotus season three whisks us to Thailand, Marc Speichert, chief commercial officer of Four Seasons Hotels, discusses the luxury group’s perfect synergy with the hit HBO series – and where you can live the experience
By Sofia de la Cruz
-
Night at the museum: the best art hotels to book now
Sleep amid surrealists at London’s Broadwick Soho, or wake up to contemporary favourites at New Hotel in Athens – indulge in an immersive art hotel experience
By Dalya Benor