xiokat: { out + about } Lanificio Cucina

I came upon this place thanks to a new friend I made on the train ride back home from Torino (a 5 hour ride). My plan was to sleep the whole way since it was the last train of the day and I was exhausted. The seats around me were empty until we got to Milano when the one next to me was taken. After sitting next to each other for a while, we ended up making small conversation and it turned out that we had a lot in common. He was coming back from an Architecture conference in Milano and well, I am a designer that loves anything that has to do with design. After a long chat about art culture in Rome versus art culture in Miami, we ended up exchanging business cards and went our separate ways.

A couple of days later, he called to invite me for coffee and a tour around the city from an architectural point of view. I was hesitant to say yes at first (you know, all the traveling and meeting alone with a stranger thing) but why not? I told my roommate where I was going and to make sure she had her phone with her, just in case. Well, it turned out to be an amazing adventure and I am so glad I went! He took me to the industrial side of the city where many old factories and warehouses have been remodeled and given new uses. The images above are fromLanificio Cucina which is a restaurant inside one of the warehouses that sits along the river. Such a beautiful space! High ceilings, tall windows and furnished with vintage artifacts that can be purchased. Each piece is completely different which makes you fall in love with all the little details of the place. Since the area is located a little outside of the city center, not many locals (or tourists) know of it. After, we went to my friends office, which is in what used to be a wool factory. There were other studio spaces within that building and they happen to be having an open house that weekend, so the studios were open to the public to tour. We spent the day exploring the spaces (images below), all so unique and inspiring.