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A modern metropolis is an amalgamation of many different elements, constantly growing upwards and outwards. For Milan’s DaV restaurant, Andrea Maffei Architects takes inspiration from the surrounding city, repeating a single triangular form to create a densely packed feature wall that resembles a top-down view of the urban landscape.

A view of the dining room in DaV Milano restaurant, featuring a pyramidal feature wall and geometric ceiling.

This sculptural focal point gives the informal dining spot (a more relaxed sister establishment of Italy’s acclaimed Da Vittorio restaurant an hour away in Brusaporto) a lively, urbane ambiance that speaks directly to its location.

The outdoor terrace at DaV Milano restaurant, looking out to the towers in Milan's CityLife district.

Operating from the base of one of Italy’s tallest skyscrapers, the 50-floor Allianz Tower (itself designed by Andrea Maffei Architects alongside the late Arata Isozaki), DaV Milano is part of CityLife, a recently developed mixed-use district that clusters shopping, offices and apartments around a giant park. (The restaurant’s 64 indoor seats are joined by a 94-seat outdoor terrace that directly overlooks the district’s main square.)

The concierge desk clad in grey porcelain, with the sculptural feature wall comprised of triangular wooden panels to the left.

Beginning at the concierge desk, DaV’s dynamic arrangement of wooden fractals establishes a rich, caramel-hued border that continues past several intimate bar tables and into the main seating area.

A group of bar tables at DaV Milano restaurant, surrounded by a feature wall clad in small triangular wooden panels.

Up above, long wooden strips of matching cherry add to the project’s sense of flow, leading guests forward into the main dining room.

A slatted partition separating a hallway with doors to the bathrooms from the dining area at DaV Milano restaurant.

Running along the entire back wall of this central space, DaV’s feature wall then transitions into a series of subtle doorways leading to individual washroom stalls clad in gray porcelain.

A bathroom clad in grey stone-look porcelain.

A slatted partition wall shelters this back corridor from the buzzy seating area up front while further contributing to the restaurant’s warm, woodsy ambiance.

A dining table sits in front of a slatted partition that forms a hallway in front of a feature wall clad in small triangular wooden panels.
A dining table sits in front of a slatted partition that forms a hallway in front of a feature wall clad in small triangular wooden panels.

Meanwhile, the dining room’s coffered ceiling serves as its own geometric focal point, featuring branch-like arrangements of slats that help to absorb sound. Integrated into this arrangement, strategically positioned spotlights work to illuminate both the tables below and the 3D walls that serve as their backdrop.

A view of the bar clad in fluted grey stone-look porcelain and topped by a black marble-look countertop.

The bar counter and chef’s table build upon the ceiling’s gray tones with fluted slabs of Laminam Pietra Piasenta Grigio porcelain (which also clads the project’s floors, front reception desk and select walls) that hark back to the slatted entryway ceilings. Meanwhile, Nero Marquinia porcelain countertops from Florim serve as a dark hit of contrast.

A bar table surrounded by walls clad in small triangular wooden panels.

The end result is a space that reflects not just Milan’s urban density, but also its appetite for bold design.

A Milan Restaurant Speaks to the Density and Dynamism of City Life

Pyramidal wood paneling serves as the backdrop to a metropolitan dining spot in the Lomardy capital’s CityLife neighbourhood.

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