rgastudio

Ratanà is in an art nouveau building hosting Catella Foundation, a former rail warehouse for Milan’s first train station, today at the center of the requalification of Porta Nuova area.

Our aim was to bring out the building’s industrial core through a choice of materials linked to its former use. The decor was entirely crafted on site, using the building itself as a workshop.

Sheets of waxed iron were used for the wainscoting and the tables, so as to bring out the lamination streaks. The flooring, made of solid oiled oak, evokes wooden railway sleepers.

The room is defined by a shelving unit used to display wine. This was created by assembling thin sheets of iron, and it becomes a living and active element in the restaurant’s atmosphere. This polyvalent piece of furniture displays a varied array of objects and interacts with the kitchen area, becoming – thanks to its originality – a totemic and distinctive feature.

Long-stemmed lamps set on pivots are designed to be moveable, allowing the clients themselves to intervene easily on the room’s illumination and decor. The bar is a more collected space, where one can enjoy wine and food samples on the long bardiglio-marble bar.

 

Photos by Michele Nastasi

Eng Text by Lianna Mark