AT HOME IN THE RESTAURANT

THE RESTAURANT IS THE SECONDARY OUTPOST TO THE ORIGINAL PAPER MOON, ADJACENT TO VIA MONTE NAPOLEONE, THE CITY’S CHICEST AND MOST FASHIONABLE RESTAURANT.

Milan fans take note! Hong Kong’s leading designer duo Ed Ng and Terence Ngan of AB Concept have added a hot new destination to the city’s fantastic dining scene, Paper Moon Giardino. Paper Moon has always been a place of gathering and a central meeting point where guests, such as the late Gianni Versace, could sit and relax in the living room-like space amongst Milan’s busiest and most luxurious street, Via Monte Napoleone.

For AB Concept’s Co-founder and Principal Ed Ng, the project has been close to his heart: “Since the beginning of my career Milan has been a regular stop, and I have been a loyal patron of Paper Moon for more than 20 years. It has been fantastic having the opportunity to recreate our vision of Paper Moon Giardino in this historical 200 year old building.”

Each of the six main rooms in the restaurant is named after their original purpose in the heritage mansion: a grand salon, a parlour, a wine library, and a striking “giardino” or courtyard garden. The vaulted ceilings and view of the garden inspired Ed and Terence to turn each chamber into intimate dining spaces each with their own personality and design separated by sandstone arches.

BOTTOM: Subtle colour palettes and fresh motifs, with an overall design that is intended to reflect an intimate home with comfort and tranquillity.

The restaurant feels as comfortable as a home and suitable for any time of the day. In the morning, guests can enjoy a nice lunch or coffee in the parlour then move to the salon for afternoon tea in the garden before settling in the private dinner rooms. The flat top bar at the entrance with high back chairs and a wine fridge is created to provide a quick coffee in the day and a small sip in the evening.

Heritage Considerations

The beautiful chambers presented a key challenge for the designers to create a restaurant atmosphere: the main structures had to be preserved and the original layout of the rooms could not be altered. “The biggest impediment is to work under this constraint, to elaborate and gain inspiration from the givens and continue to develop a new design that works in harmony,” says Ed Ng.

THE GEOMETRIC SHAPES AND MURALS ON THE ANTIQUE VAULTED CEILING, WINDOWS, AND EVEN THE TERRAZZO FLOORING ARE UNMISTAKABLY ITALIAN. ED AND TERENCE COMPLEMENTED THE EXISTING ARCHITECTURE WITH MULTIPLE MIRRORS, ELEGANT FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS, LOUNGE CHAIRS AND SOFAS IN EARTHY AND CREAM NATURE-INSPIRED TONES WITH A MORE CASUAL FEEL TO CONTRAST THE GLITZY BOUTIQUES DOWN THE ROAD.

“SINCE THE BEGINNING OF MY CAREER MILAN HAS BEEN A REGULAR STOP, AND I HAVE BEEN A LOYAL PATRON OF PAPER MOON FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS. IT HAS BEEN FANTASTIC HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECREATE OUR VISION OF PAPER MOON GIARDINO IN THIS HISTORICAL 200 YEAR OLD BUILDING.”

Ed Ng, Principal/Co-Founder, AB Concept

The geometric shapes and murals on the antique vaulted ceiling, windows, and even the terrazzo flooring are unmistakably Italian. Ed and Terence complemented the existing architecture with multiple mirrors, elegant floral arrangements, lounge chairs and sofas in earthy and cream nature-inspired tones with a more casual feel to contrast the glitzy boutiques down the road. The decorative light installations throughout were carefully designed for each space. This includes a hexagon floor lamp inspired from the ceiling mural, and a series of wall sconces created for the FLUX collaboration with Lasvit, which coincidentally first debuted in the Salone del Mobile 2017.

The Paper Moon Giardino flagship on 12 Via Bagutta introduces a different palette and ambience than the other seven locations in order to pay homage to the heritage mansion. The softer colours and art complement the garden and the intimate dining areas of the former mansion. However, the iconic portraits of Paper Moon are still featured, but on a smaller scale and specially curated to tell the story of a home. “Having known Paper Moon’s owners for a long time, it has been a very exciting journey working with them to create this upscale design.” says Ed Ng.