09. Pierluigi | The Restaurant Guide 2012
Thursday, August 9th, 2012
By Lawrence Karol
Great food and great design don’t always go hand in hand—but they should. From a small pizza joint in New York City to a massive art-infused former factory in Sydney, these amazing spaces will sate your appetite for both wonderfully-prepared dishes and creative interiors.
Rome, Italy
Messing with tradition is a dangerous undertaking—especially in Europe. “We didn’t want to transform the structure of the restaurant and create confusion in loyal customers,” says Architect Pier Giorgio Antonetti as he discusses his work for Rome’s Pierluigi. In collaboration with the lighting design and manufacturing firm .PSLAB, he subtly redesigned the space with stylistic references to the elegance of the 1930s Art Deco period—Pierluigi was founded in 1938—using Emperador marble, walnut, and dark brown metal paneling. And in a nod to the restaurant’s speciality, Antonetti says, “We covered the walls of the entry in a mosaic tile that simulates the scales of a fish.”
Lara Noujeim of .PSLAB says her firm’s approach to every project is, “to mimic the concept of the architectural vision for a space,” and they collaborated closely with Antonetti on his vision. In the main dining areas, drum shades bring a consistency between rooms that are separate from one another. The newly-built cocktail bar has drop disks with exposed bulbs and these same fixtures were hung in the basement wine cellar creating, “a reminder that the two areas are located on top of each other,” says Noujeim. It all goes to show that the past and the future can quietly collide with beautiful results.
FOOD: Italian
DON'T MISS DISH: Anotteti says, “For me, the most impressive dish is the Paccheri Amatriciana di Mare—tomato sauce, seafood, smoked pancetta, and Pecorino cheese!”
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Tagged with: .PSLAB • Italy • Pier Giorgio Antonetti • Pierluigi • Restaurant Guide 2012 • Rome