This Bistro Was Designed to Make You Put Away Your Phone
Now open at Milan Design Week.
Updated Oct 11, 2018 1:55 PM
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If you follow a “no phones at the dinner table” rule, a new pop-up cafe, now open at Milan Design Week, is guaranteed strike your fancy. Designed by Montreal-based Lambert & Fils, in collaboration with Milan’s DWA Design Studio, Caffe Populaire is a bistro made for socializing without screens, Dezeen reported.
Set in a former panettone factory, the space is designed with a mix of ancient and modern elements. Think: lush white marble meets dark green terrazzo. Two table structures—one round and one U-shaped—are designed to make the eating and drinking experience a social one. Here, guests are encouraged to converse as they enjoy their dinner.
At a time when pop-ups, restaurants, and even doctor’s offices are designed with the intention of becoming fodder for Instagram, Caffe Populaire is strictly “anti-digital,” but that doesn’t mean its design isn’t the stuff of dreams. Two new, dramatic lighting collections by Lambert & Fils give the expansive space a more intimate feeling, while dishware from 250-year-old French porcelain brand Revol creates a dynamic tablescape. Visitors are sure to have an experience to remember—even if they can’t document it for all their followers to see.
Can’t make it to Milan in time? Bring Caffe Populaire’s old-meets-new vibe to your home with these elements.
A bold terrazzo-topped coffee table looks striking with a black-and-white contrast.
Rimmed plates and bowls feel simultaneously fresh and timeless.
A dramatically suspended light by Lambert & Fils can change the vibe of a room in an instant.
See more inspiring eateries: 11 Fresh Plant Hacks, Courtesy of the World’s Greenest Restaurants This New It Restaurant Is Like an Italian Vacation But Better Designers Call It—These Are the Most Beautifully Styled Restaurant Interiors