A pop-up caffè with futuristic nostalgia: Nuova Group and Studio Temp on designing CAFFÈ RIMOWA

While design aficionados were taking in the impressive sights of Milan Design Week 2024, many were enjoying a complimentary espresso, courtesy of CAFFÈ RIMOWA, a pop-up caffè sparked from a creative partnership between the iconic luggage brand RIMOWA and the renowned coffee machine makers La Marzocco. Together, they unveiled the Linea Mini by Officine Fratelli Bambi at the prestigious Salone del Mobile. The concept, design, and production were executed by the luxury design studio Nuova Group, who teamed up with their frequent collaborators, Studio Temp, alongside designer Annalisa Marchetti, to shape the identity. “We’ve always worked together with Temp across all projects we’ve developed for RIMOWA,” Nuova Group Founder Rodrigo Caula tells us, explaining that they had reached out to the Bergamo-based graphic design studio and as usual, started thinking about the intervention at the Milan art gallery Spazio Maiocchi. “Our process is heavily research-driven – we spend a lot of time sharing ideas and references before locking into a direction.” As the briefs for the scenography and brand identity were “carte blanche,” the team could break free from previous RIMOWA work. The look and feel of the pop-up caffè, says Studio Temp Founder Guido Daminelli, is like "being transported into the past, but in a futuristic way” thanks to the deliberate mix of material, colour, type, and graphic design. By blending wood, textiles, ceramic tiles, and aluminium in the scenography, a dynamic interplay between the past and the future emerged, creating “a strange nostalgia of something that is yet to be.” The exterior façade featured a striking neon lighting fixture crafted from polished aluminium, illuminating the hero ‘R’ for all to see from the street.