Pane e latte was envisioned as the first immersive bakery concept of Pirata Group with a name evoking the Italian for bread and milk - homey items that recall comfort and familiarity. Designed by Pirata Group’s in-house design team, the concept is a positano-inspired neighbourhood bakery in Hong Kong's Stanley coast. It serves as a village landmark, but also humble, homey, warm and welcoming. a place that transports guests to Italy. 

To harness natural light on its prime, seafront location, Pirata Group head designer Archie Haig framed the expansive space with floor-to-ceiling windows, pink columns and soaring drapes. the ceiling, itself, is covered in sheets of woven reed to evoke wheat fields. the floor is tiled with genuine Italian terracotta from Florence. 

The walls and counters are festooned with antiques from Milan, including jars, paintings and real family photographs from Italian beachside holidays. Even the crockery is sourced from markets in Milan and Torino. A mixture of chairs, couches and banquettes create cozy social microcosms that invite guests to really settle in and linger a little longer without feeling the need to leave. 

Downstairs, the bakery and food lab is ensconced in glass to showcase a functional bakery and how artisanal breads and pastries are handmade individually. This “Panetteria theatre” then flows into the gelateria, with a similar industrial, yet no less tactile aesthetic. the delightful, Italian frozen treat is prepared on a sleek, amorphous, stainless steel counter. overhead, the ceiling is a heavenly, painted canopy with clouds against a blue sky.