Humbert & Poyet sets up Beefbar restaurant inside 16th-century chapel

Inside design duo Humbert & Poyet has delivered an opulent setting for the Milan outpost of high-end steakhouse Beefbar, taking up the previous chapel of a 500-year-old seminary on Corso Venezia.

The studio drew on the structure of the historic constructing with its dramatic vaulted nave – not too long ago restored as a part of a seven-year renovation mission led by architect Michele De Lucchi – whereas introducing parts of Milanese modernism.

“We had been impressed by the foremost figures of the Milanese fashion of the Forties and Sixties and the timeless sophistication and modernism that their designs gave rise to,” stated Humbert & Poyet.

“We needed friends to really feel transported to a spot that invokes the previous, current and future, and expertise the inimitable sensuality and relaxed nature of the Italian spirit.”

Because the restaurant is situated in a historic web site, Humbert & Poyet’s needed to honour Milanese craftsmanship, utilizing locally-produced supplies together with marble, terrazzo flooring and woodwork, all sourced from Milan and close by Bergamo.

“This additionally meant that we had been in a position to cut back our carbon footprint by slicing down transportation distances, whereas additionally with the ability to showcase the great thing about the uncooked supplies native to the area, in addition to the intricate work of Italian artisans dwelling in Milan,” the studio stated.

Primarily, the duo sought to stability the excessive vaulted ceilings of the previous chapel with the comparatively small footprint of the house whereas discovering a technique to combine the kitchen into the restaurant.

“The choice to have the restaurant, bar and kitchen open onto each other was pushed by our need to create an atmosphere the place friends may actually savour moments of conviviality,” the studio stated.

“We additionally consciously aimed to protect and showcase the inherent great thing about the unique house, avoiding any partitioning that would doubtlessly detract from its aesthetic whereas we determined to create a pavilion construction beneath the vault, which the kitchen could possibly be positioned beneath.”

Key to this fusing of the three essential areas is the terrazzo ground, which unites the restaurant, bar and kitchen.

Its stylised wave sample pays tribute to Italian architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni, who left “an indelible mark on post-war Italian design and Milanese modernism”, in keeping with Humbert & Poyet.

“His versatile method to structure and design allowed him to harmoniously mix historic and conventional parts with the fashionable city atmosphere,” the studio stated. “That is exactly the essence we sought to seize in our design for the Beefbar Milan.”

The colors discovered inside the terrazzo knowledgeable the palette of the entire house.

Shades of inexperienced, black, white and burgundy repeat all through the bar and restaurant, discovered throughout curving inexperienced couches, hand-made burgundy tiles and within the onyx marble that strains the meat show circumstances.

“Our number of colors is intricately tied to the terrazzo, which creates a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing atmosphere that enhances the general eating expertise,” the studio stated.

Juxtaposing with the austere end of the lofty vaulted ceiling, the decrease part of the room is enveloped in fluted walnut panelling, which Humbert & Poyet selected as a nod to the “aesthetic codes of Milanese cafes”.

Darkish pink zellige tiles add a contact of color to the house whereas tactile velvet options on the inexperienced upholstered banquettes, offering a counterpoint to the onerous surfaces.

Positioned under Humbert & Poyet’s Asterios lights, tables topped with deep inexperienced Verdi Apli marble carry a way of “refinement and class” to the house, the studio stated.

“The marble tables are an ideal complement to the splendid velvet seating benches, and the marble’s natural qualities create a way of dynamism when paired with the Carimate eating chairs by the Italian designer Vico Magistretti,” stated Humbert & Poyet.

Beefbar Milano has been shortlisted within the restaurant and bar inside class of this 12 months’s Dezeen Awards.

Additionally within the working is a restaurant in a former mechanic’s workshop in Guadalajara and David Thulstrup’s inside for Ikoyi in London, which options copper partitions and a curved metal-mesh ceiling.

The images is by Francis Amiand.