Peck, the symbol of Italian gastronomical delights since 1883, opens a new venue – deli shop, restaurant, wine bar and cocktail bar – to explore a new concept in food&beverage. Designed by the Milan-based studio Vudafieri-Saverino Partners, the new Peck is located in the CityLife Shopping District, under the skyscrapers designed by internationally renowned architects.
Peck CityLife brings to the new vertical city all the flavours, aromas and expertise that have made it the benchmark for high-quality foods and a famous brand all around the world. Vudafieri-Saverino Partners took care of every phase of the project. The aim was to create an environment rich with symbolic elements to reconcile Peck’s historical identity with its modern and contemporary dimension. A bridge between the tradition of fine dining and the new city.
Peck CityLife is located in a 300m² organically-shaped pavilion: not only a treasure trove of flavours, expertise and traditions, but also an evocative place where food is part of a larger experience. The interior design was structured so as to provide a narrative continuity throughout the different areas: the delicatessen, restaurant, wine bar and cocktail bar.
The design pays tribute to post-war Milan, in which the legend of Peck established itself. The flooring is redolent of historic Milanese stone, the ceppo di Gré; the restaurant’s false ceiling, with wooden panelling, recalls Villa Necchi Campiglio of the great Milanese architect Piero Portaluppi; the struts which hold up the shelves are evocative of the BBPR’s Velasca Tower; for the seating Gio Ponti was chosen: elegance and essentiality.
The vast deli counter welcomes visitors at the entrance. Designed to offer technical performance, aesthetics and practicality, it also introduces a new option: eating sat directly at the counter. A series of folding tables allow diners to a privileged view of the authenticity and quality of the products and, at the same time, to a new and engaging experience.
The restaurant is an elongated space in which the mirrors amplify the depth of the display walls. To accentuate the feeling of intimacy, the setting is made cosier by a low suspended wooden ceiling in a diamond mesh shape. The theme of the diamond-shaped panels also characterizes the decorative motifs of the moving tables, another tribute to the Milanese architectural tradition.
The bar of the cocktail station is covered with handpainted porcelain tiles with a unique design, taken from a historic photograph from the 1950s and created especially for Peck. The counter is made of copper, along with the large mirror which hangs on the wall behind. In the evening, the volume lights up like a lantern, drawing one’s gaze to the atmospheres of the restaurant which finds intimacy in spotlighting.
Vudafieri-Saverino Partners has defined a concept capable of expressing the fundamental features of Peck’s historic identity, bringing it into a design which is at once timeless and highly contemporary.
