Milan’s eclectic Porta Venezia district welcomes ERIS, a groundbreaking hybrid space merging specialty coffee, natural wine, pop-up retail, and experimental design into a single fluid experience. Conceived by creative collective Studio Pesca and brought to life through the architectural ingenuity of VELIA architecture studio, ERIS redefines hospitality as a dynamic cultural stage.
At its core, ERIS operates with a “dual soul“; by day, it functions as a sophisticated café featuring specialty coffee by Italian micro-roastery Nudo – celebrated for ethically sourced, transparently produced beans – alongside natural wines curated by Rome’s Retrovino.
By night (or spontaneously), the space transforms into a modular exhibition hub for brands, designers, and artists. Its adaptable infrastructure enables rapid reinvention, anchored by reconfigurable walls clad in Homapal laminates and mobile Art Serf steel furnishings. Two expansive street-facing windows and outdoor seating turn ERIS into a living street-level installation, fostering visual dialogue with Porta Venezia.
VELIA architecture studio’s design pivots on a “changing frame” concept. A permanent central bar by Volumeuno flips traditional layouts, facing inward to foster conviviality while anchoring evolving installations. The 100m² interior features meticulous details: QuadroDesign taps, From Lightingsystems, Ambrosetti marble sinks, and Aplem PVC flooring create a minimalist yet tactile backdrop.
This flexibility extends to partnerships with innovators like Le Labo (beauty) and Levi’s (fashion), who temporarily inhabit the space through pop-up retail activations. The design actively encourages such collaborations, reinforcing ERIS as a dynamic creative hub.
ERIS emerges as a new archetype for creative hubs, where hospitality and cultural programmingcoexist symbiotically. As Studio Pesca founder Benedetta Gambino notes, the project thrives on “fluid cross-disciplinary aesthetics,” attracting communities passionate about design, gastronomy, and avant-garde expression.