Sweetly retro

Which colours are the sweetest? To find out, all you need to do is step inside the Pasticceria Comi pastry shop in Missaglia, a small town in the heart of Brianza in the province of Lecco. The historic pastry shop, founded in 1958 by master pastry chef Giancarlo Comi and now run by his son in keeping with the family tradition, has been extended and restyled by Cierreesse Arredamenti. « The aim of the project was to renovate the interior of what was already a modern store in terms of the technologies used to produce and refrigerate its pastries, » explains Santo Scibetta, owner and art director of the company specialising in interior design solutions for the food and hospitality sectors. At the same time, however, the owners wanted to retain the retro feel of the historic location. This was achieved through a meticulous choice of materials and furnishings, which were selected with great attention to detail and colour to create a warm, old-fashioned ambience together with modern functional solutions, as in the case of the lighting design. « We redesigned the layout of the premises, which is still divided into pastry shop, bar and cafeteria, and optimised its functions, » says Scibetta. « And by making use of the rear section of the building we were able to enlarge the interior by about 25 square metres, creating space for 60 seats in the cafeteria. » The use of wood and metal, the choice of fabrics and the elegant aesthetics of ceramics all helped to add personality to the space and create a compelling visual and sensory effect, like stepping into an old-fashioned pâtisserie. The floor tiles played a particularly important role. The Le Veneziane terrazzo-inspired porcelain tiles from Florim stand out for their graphic details inspired by Art Nouveau Venice, while the disorderly granular pattern conceals the joints and creates a sense of visual unity between the rooms. The more decorative qualities of ceramic tile are instead displayed to good effect on the bar and pastry counters, which are clad with Symphonie veined marble porcelain from Florim’s Étoile de Rex collection. This decorative effect is mitigated by the presence of fluted wood panels on the same counters, a solution originally in vogue in the 1960s and 1970s recreated using a hi-tech French patent acquired by Cierreesse. While the vintage look is echoed in the wood panelling on the walls and the use of brass for the feet of the chairs and tables in the cafeteria, the elegant marble touch is replicated in the tops of the tables edged with wood trim. « The furniture was designed and made by our company as a fine example of Italian craftsmanship and was tailored specifically to the pastry shop’s clientele and the sensation of hospitality that the owners wanted to convey, » explains Scibetta. Soft fabrics and plush velvets provide a characterful interpretation of original sofas, comfortable armchairs and vintage Milano tavern chairs, while the on-trend colours of the textiles stand out as stylish accents against the warm backdrop of uniform powder shades of varying intensity.