Orsonero Coffee at Meta Milan by David/Nicolas.

A new Milanese concept store brings design and food together into one adventurous dining experience. Just opened, Taste Meta has combined five examples of culinary excellence into one precinct, located in Zona Risorgimento. While Milan is hardly wanting for good food or wine, the new food landmark has an edge on the competition with Orsonero Coffee residing within, designed by design duo david/nicholas.

Leader in the Milanese coffee sector, thanks to the knowledge of different alternative extraction methods, Orsonero Coffee occupies the exclusive META retail room. The coffee shop is managed by the Canadian barista Brent Jopson, a pioneer in the city of the “Third Wave” of the golden liquid, offering specialty coffee and viennoiserie service.

META project consists of 5 kitchens with each its own signature cuisine accompanied by an additional coffee place working alongside Orsonero — Italians don’t joke about their coffee. The design studio aimed to create a vibrant cocoon-like atmosphere while staying sober with material choices.

The dark wood panelling envelops the whole space and creates a pleasant welcoming environment, it is complemented by an array of light batons scattered rigorously around the walls to accentuate the wood’s warmth. By arching the front bancone, the designers managed to give the space a more dynamic feel and suddenly the configuration became more inviting as if the bar was wrapping itself around the shop’s visitors. The main volume is crowned by a thick steel top to create shine contrasting the rest of the materials and to complement La Marzocco’s neatly designed steel espresso machines.

David Raffoul and Nicolas Moussallem have established a global presence since they set up their studio, david/nicolas, in Beirut in 2011. Through their interdisciplinary approach to their retro-futurist design aesthetic, they have staged several exhibitions and collaborated with established international brands like Vista Alegre, CC-Tapis, Moooi, Vogue Italia. The pair work in a salon-style studio environment and have fostered a creative space where their individual ways of creation can flourish and where critique is an indispensable part of their collaboration.

Related: Interview with Beirut Design Duo david/nicolas.

[Interior photography by Federico Torra. Food photography by Carlotta Vigo.]