THE MANZONI || A Seamless Integration of a Showroom and Restaurant into One Experience

In The Manzoni, you can indulge in a sumptuous meal while you shop for furniture.

Tom Dixon Design Research Studio blurred the lines between restaurant and showroom with The Manzoni, a 100-seat restaurant in Milan. Established in 2002, Tom Dixon Design Research Studio is a British-based design and manufacturing studio renowned for setting industry trends by creating extraordinary objects and spaces. After a one-year absence, Tom Dixon returned to Milan with a brand-new concept in collaboration with JLK Design Studio to build out a space that challenges their positioning in the business, arts, and cultural capital of Italy. The Manzoni Restaurant opened its doors earlier this year as a permanent high-end dining establishment that doubles as a gallery and showroom for Tom Dixon’s furniture and lifestyle goods collection. The restaurant’s soft opening earlier this April was also strategically planned to coincide with Milan Design Week, putting itself on the international stage at this celebrated world event.

The establishment will also be the brand’s first permanent home in mainland Europe, after doing years of temporary exhibitions in Milan. “We wanted to look at different ways of being present in Milan. With the city being so active and engaging right now, it is the right time to forget being temporary and build something permanent. Just like in London, we don’t think it’s enough to just have a showroom. We need a place where people slow down and experience our products in a live setting” described Tom Dixon.

The entrance of The Manzoni features a large block of natural granite, which serves as the foundation of the bar. Bright seafoam green and lava stone-clad walls in the background complement the raw, Testi stone bar, adding complexity to the space with natural textures from the materials. Finally, Tom Dixon’s very own OPAL collection of lights illuminate the space with its signature ethereal glow, adding a mysterious allure to the evocative setting.

The OPAL collection by Tom Dixon is a family of translucent globes created with the brand’s own custom recipe of tinted white opalescent polycarbonate. The semi-translucent quality maintains a level of ethereal ghostliness, forming perfectly illuminated spheres that double as mesmerizing art pieces. The dimming feature also allows you to take full control over the mood of the space. The OPAL family currently includes two pendant lights, two-floor lights, and a surface light. Learn more about the collection here.

The OPAL surface light illuminating the space with an ethereal glow

The Manzoni’s main dining hall features a long and narrow dining space illuminated by various types of OPAL light forms. Other design highlights include the monastic cork dining tables where guests are invited to enjoy their lunch or dinner is a communal setting. The monochromatic setting is made interesting with an assortment of textures and finishes such as the ragged lava stone cutouts on display, the hand-rendered concrete walls, and luscious grey drapery. The muted setting also brings visitors’ attention to the subtle touches of colors from the cork table and the studio’s FAT upholstery chair collection.

The FAT chair range available as a dining chair, high stool and lounge chair is designed to hug the body and allows for multiple sitting positions. Its subtle curvature, simple form, and minimal components create an elegant silhouette that complements the rounded edges of the cork table. The collection also features a signature, hand-finished, made-to-order custom upholstery, giving buyers full creative control to the look they would like to achieve.

The OPAL floor lamp.

Rendered concrete gives a modern and industrial look to the restaurant showroom.

The Jungle is a separate section within The Manzoni that introduces luscious greenery into the setting. The dense greenery supplied by luxury Sardinian florist, Art Flowers Gallery, flourish from spun aluminum planters to create a serene, jungle oasis while adding a touch of warmth to the monochromatic theme of the space. Here, patrons can enjoy their meal in a more casual and light-hearted setting, perfect for a lunch gathering.

The highlight Tom Dixon collection at The Jungle is SPRING, a series of three pendant lamps made up of stainless-steel strips. The intricate, lantern-like lamp uses pliant ribbons of stainless steel arranged like a whisk around a custom-made, dimmable Tom Dixon LED. What is unique about SPRING is its ability to be adjusted to a variety of silhouettes depending on the look you are after - from a flat arrangement reminiscent of a spirograph drawing to a fuller shape like a pumpkin. To make this possible, multiple bands of high-performance spring steel plated in white or brass is used, giving it its malleable characteristic. The unique, spiral design also allows them to be easily flat-packed for transportation.

At the heart of The Manzoni is a courtyard with a bespoke, marble table as its centerpiece. Framed by a lavish foliage backdrop, the forest green marble table is the product of a collaboration between renowned natural stone manufacturer Testi Group, and JKL Design Studio. The marble centerpiece not only showcases fine craftsmanship and modern manufacturing processes but also looks into the exploration of textures and materials. This is all a part of Tom Dixon's approach to exploring materialities, a concept that has been deeply ingrained in the brand.

Materials used throughout the establishment have all been sourced from different regions of Italy; stone from Mount Etna in Sicily, marble from Veron, and flowers from Sardinia, just to name a few.

A visit to The Manzoni is undoubtedly a feast for the eyes as much as it is for your tastebuds. The restaurant component of the space aims to satisfy hungry shoppers or diners alike with world-class Italian food that goes hand-in-hand with the elevated dining setting. We love how the innovative showroom/restaurant concept of The Manzoni allows real-life users to test out a brand’s latest collection in an active context, an approach that is necessary but often lacking in showrooms nowadays. Learn more about similar concepts by visiting here to see our design article for Ziinlife Lifestore in Shanghai.

Project Details

Project Name: The Manzoni

Design Studio: Tom Dixon Research Studio and JLK Design Studio

Partners: Agape, Amorim, Arabeschi di Latte, Art Gallery Flowers, August Sandgren, Bibendum, D-Line, Electrolux, Friends & Founders, Kvadrat, Made a Mano, Paper Factor, Sorensen, Testi.

Photography courtesy of Tom Dixon Research Studio.