Restaurant as Social Experiment: 28 Posti in Milan

Located on a quiet side street in the heart of Navigli in Milan, 28 Posti is a 28-seat trattoria as social experiment. Designed by architect Francesco Faccin and fitted out by inmates of the nearby Penitentiary Institute of Bollate, the interior features a mix of ancient (crumbling brick and plaster walls) and modern (lamps made from plastic bottles, sleek custom dining chairs).

Photographs by Filippo Romano.

Above: The restaurant’s glazed entrance with its number stenciled over the door.

Above: The original brick walls are still visible; the concrete floor is a new addition. On the menu: sprightly vegetarian and seafood dishes, such as cod confit with blu-violet potatoes.

Above: The concierge desk was made from reclaimed wood by trained inmates working in a prison carpentry shop. You can read about the program here.

Above: Faccin designed all of the furniture and it was fabricated in the prison workshop. It’s hoped that the restaurant will become a showcase for the work that the detainees can do.

Above: The whimsical PET lamps are made in Colombia from reused plastic bottles and textiles (I spotted the pendants at Conran in London last summer and wasn’t sure what to make of them; seeing them in situ, I’m now on board). The lamps can be purchased directly from PET Lamp (prices start at $200 for the smallest size; medium, shown here, are $280). For the latest collection of PET Lamps, see our recent post Fantastic Plastic: Lamps Made from Recycled Soda Bottles. Photo via Why Not Monday.

Above: The tables, banquettes, doors, and wall paneling are all made from scrap lumber.

Above: Illuminated niches display Kenyan sculptures and artifacts.

Heading to Milan? Also don’t miss Pave Cafe, design gallery Spazio Rossana Orlandi, and the World’s Biggest Vertical Garden. A glam place to stay? Have a look at the Grand Hotel.

Below: Here’s where to find 28 Posti in Milan’s Navigli district.

This post is an update; the original ran on December 4, 2013.
View Larger Map