Isola Design District: Where to go and what to do

The debut of Isola Design District – 4 to 9 April – is now nearly upon us with Salone del Mobile at the gates. The lively district in northern Milan has seen tremendous growth in recent years due to building renovations. This will all be even more in the spotlight now thanks to an initiative from Comune di Milano | Palazzo Marino which aims to highlight the historical and artistic heritage of the area and local business.

Countless local business will open its doors to events, exhibitions and innovative projects which will showcase the new district. We begin in the heart of Isola. Capra e Cavoli, a spectacular vegetarian bistro in via Pastrengo has a romantic and provincial vibe will be hosting the project “Tattooing Spaces – A New Form of Interior Design” created by TIDEO, an all-Italian company that will apply original and exclusive designs to marble provided by MGS marble & Granite Service and to “Recycled Stones” homewares,  a multidisciplinary project by Tiziana Scaciga together with Politecnico University of Milan. Among the plants and swings in Capra e Cavoli’s beautiful restaurant, this will surely be a fabulous event.

Walk to Frida, the historic restaurant and bar which will play host to a many exhibits during Design Week. The bar offers more than 80 different drinks and we keep coming back to try all of them. The space will be a reference point during Fuorisalone as it will be a press office for journalist and bloggers as well as a field office for the staff of Source – a Florentine business that deals with self-produced design. They will be hosting an event called ‘Obstacles and Solutions‘ edited by Valia Barriello, which will feature designers discussing the greatest difficulties they’ve encountered in the creative process and how they have overcome this.

Other bars and restaurants that will be on offer include Anche a fun concept that combines a bakery and a bar, which will host ‘Spirito del Luogo‘ an exhibition from Ceren Gun. Having graduated from Politecnico, this designer will be exhibiting her M.Arch thesis. Bar Bah is a cocktail bar born from the passion of its owners who have chosen unusual decor to create an extraordinary place. They fit perfectly in this context of works of art and architecture which is visually arresting.

From Type, there’s a completely soundproofed little cocktail bar with a kitchen, where you can find the fun event ‘Banana Tiama‘ (Banana Lovesyou), which celebrates the colour and artistic diversity through installation pieces. All of this is accompanied by electronic music and the DJ sets of S/M. Then there is the Beershow, the mecca of craft beers where you can taste your favorite beers accompanied by an excellent platter. The NL chair of Atelier Mezzo will be on display all week long. At Crank – Organic Bikery you can have a chat over organic food, a menu that’s suitable for vegetarians and vegans, plus a few cocktails and bicycles which you can of course buy. This tiny bar hosts the Xilolab Exhibition, a creative laboratory that sees wood as a hero-material.

Closing the festival are events hosted by Campari and Menabrea. Campari has always supported art and culture, noting the number of famous artists who featured in their advertising. On this occasion, they have prepared an exceptional cocktail with the help of Fiordiponti being a Negroni made with Campari, Bankes Gin and Cinzano 1757. The delicious dumpling house Ghe Sem has created the Barlalfluss (Campari, Umeshu, Lemon, Soda and Ginger) and Crank has prepared a Boulevardier with Wild Turkey while Frida is serving up Americanos. Finally Menabrea is sponsoring three evenings at Frida on the 6, 7 and 8th of April with DJ sets from Mao, the Ghibertins and Missing Red. You’ll be able to taste their gorgeous Red Ale here.

Have fun!

Photo Credit: Kent Wang