The pastry shop reimagined

« In Croissanteria Lab » is the name of a bistro-style pastry shop designed by the practice Cierreesse for the Vezzoli family of master bakers. The first In Croissanteria store was opened by Italo Vezzoli in the northern Italian town of Carobbio degli Angeli in 1995, and in the more than 20 years that have gone by since then his children have learned from his experience, reinterpreting and expanding the offerings of their store and adapting its name. The shop is a real melting pot of offerings spanning everything from breakfast through to evening aperitif, which meant that a highly versatile, fluid space free from internal barriers was needed. With this in mind, Cierreesse opted for a multifunctional layout for the central island that would allow staff to work efficiently and interact with customers. The industrial nature of the context is reflected in the exposed ceiling installations reminiscent of New York lofts, in the large spotlights distributed throughout the shop and in the horizontal and vertical finishings. Tiles from the Cementine20 collection by Ceramica Fioranese have been used to create a kind of architectural frame surrounding the central island and reflecting the exposed lighting system above. A kind of virtual theatre stage, it interposes an intangible wall between the food preparation and eating areas.
The same kind of solution has been adopted on the walls in the other areas, including the bathrooms which are graced with Cementine20 porcelain tiles reminiscent of early twentieth-century French post-industrial spaces. They interact with the other elements made from very different materials such as glass, wood and aluminium, whose individual characteristics contribute to the identity of the space: the warmth of wood, the personality of porcelain, the transparency and luminosity of glass. This dialogue forges a brand image that reappears on the menu, business cards, product labels and wall-mounted blackboards designed by firm Studio Meme. The same clean, simple lines and rational spaces are replicated in the product advertising.
The approach to interior design projects of this kind demonstrates just how much the design needs of the world of food have changed and the extent to which projects of this kind can influence the way interiors are organised. Food not only enjoys pride of place in the interior, dictating its design needs, but also has a function of social cohesion, bringing together people with different tastes and from different generations and backgrounds. In a place like this, customers feel free to arrive whenever they like and make best use of the time they have available.