Milan may currently be under hard lockdown, but life will eventually get back to normal and when that happens one of the places we’d like to make a toast in is

, a contemporary Mediterranean restaurant in Porta Genova which has recently been revamped by Italian designer

Cristina Celestino

. Named after the number of seats it accommodates, the restaurant was established in 2013 as an intimate spot to experience the cooking of Chef Marco Ambrosino whose avant-garde dishes draw from the traditional cuisine of Campania. Celestino’s interior design reflects the harmonious balance of authenticity, simplicity and sophistication that characterize Ambrosino’s seasonal menus while retaining the convivial and relaxed atmosphere that the restaurant is known for.

Celestino was inspired by Ambrosino’s cooking; in particular his talent for turning simple ingredients into highly refined, unconventional dishes that nevertheless retain the character of the raw materials – think fermented cabbage, truffle and bergamot, or macarons with anchovies, apples and algae. Underpinned by a palette of natural materials and earthy colours, the interior design “plays on the concepts of authenticity, comfort, simplicity, origins, and aims to create a parallel between the interior of the restaurant and the kitchen of its chef Marco Ambrosino, the undisputed soul of the place”, the designer says.

Materiality, texture, colour are the key points in Celestino’s design. Unfired, earth-toned plaster by

Matteo Brioni

and terracotta boiserie by

Fornace Brioni

on the walls perfectly complement the exposed timber beams on the ceiling and the preserved crumbling brick wall that dissects the space. Wooden surfaces further enrich the canvas of natural materials, with perforated white tiles and pleated-steel pendant lamps adding to the textural palette. A series of powder-blue details, from ceiling rafters to cupboards to the metallic legs of the dining tables, add splashes of colour, while the micro-mosaic terracotta cladding and smooth rounded corners found in free-standing shelving units add to the sense of refinement and craftsmanship. Featuring the haunting work of photographer

Filippo Romano

that documents the desolate urban landscapes of the Italian south, the new interiors of 28 Posti welcome guests into a space that reflects its unique identity of nonchalant experimentation.