In Milan, Rodrigo is conceived as an interior narrative suspended between memory and contemporary hospitality. Designed in 2024 by Nick Maltese Studio, the restaurant reinterprets the legacy of the historic Rodrigo in Bologna, founded in 1949, translating it into an immersive spatial experience where architecture, atmosphere and conviviality become part of the same story. The project unfolds as a sequence of spaces, almost like scenes in a film. Guests enter through the bistrot, move through the bar and gradually reach the more intimate dining rooms.
Each environment is designed as a frame, defined by deep tones of red, green and gold, glossy surfaces, curtains and arches that create a theatrical rhythm. Drawing on the memory of Italian bourgeois interiors, the project translates this heritage into a contemporary language made of refined materials, essential proportions and carefully orchestrated atmospheres. The bistrot, dominated by a large glossy marble counter and blown-glass suspensions, acts as a cinematic foyer: lively, reflective and open to the energy of the city. Moving further inside, the light becomes softer, the colours deepen and the rhythm slows. Velvets, boiserie, textured wallpapers, crystal elements and shades of burgundy and forest green create a sensory crescendo that invites guests to linger and inhabit the space.
Light plays a central role throughout the project, reflecting on marble, filtering through crystal and brushing against textured surfaces. Nothing is purely decorative: the table arrangement, fabric density, sequence of arches, materials and chromatic temperature all contribute to a sensorial architecture. Rodrigo Milan becomes a contemporary interpretation of Italian hospitality, rooted in memory, shared pleasure and care. It is a place where the present speaks to the past, and where every element contributes to shaping an aesthetic experience even before a gastronomic one.
