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Please Do Not Call This Restaurant 'Millennial Pink'
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 14, 2017
Modified Jun 14, 2017
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Photo by Scott Heins/Gothamist
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 14, 2017
Modified Jun 14, 2017
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Millennial Pink is one of those eye-rolling trends that is mostly annoying because of the monicker it was given and the amount of headlines it has generated. If forced to define it, Millennial Pink is when something is pink for the purpose of making it Instagram-worthy, or something pink is purchased solely for its Instagram value.
Recently Eater declared that Millennial Pink had invaded the New York City restaurant scene, noting that there are three "entirely pink" restaurants in NYC that "have opened in the past year." That doesn't really seem like that many, but trends are often compelled into existence with headlines like "Is Millennial Pink Getting Out of Hand in NYC Dining?"
The real question might be: why are they really pink? We asked one restaurateur with a big penchant for pink to explain.
Italian restaurant Pietro Nolita—which has painted and purchased nearly every single item in the place a shade of pink—is the pinkest of them all, but it's not what you think. The establishment's delightful owner Pietro Quaglia recently told us about his color choice, and had no idea what this whole #MillennialPink garbage was about.
"I don't know what Millennial Pink means," he told us, explaining, "Pink pastel is a traditional color of Italy, especially on the Ligurian coast, where I used to spend time growing up. Pink is also a color that exudes happiness, joy and love."
While Quaglia simply started with a main base of pink, designer Jeanette Dalrot told Architectural Digest that "as we got further into the project, Pietro would always ask, ‘Does that come in pink, too?’ Eventually, all the accents transformed into pink items in a mix of shades and materials.” The color can also be found in another inspiration for the restaurant's design: the Memphis Group, known for their flamboyant designs which have been making a comeback in recent years.
Quaglia noted, however, that no matter what you call it, they have been getting a lot of Instagram attention, and if you click through the above photos you'll see why—this #ItalianPink thing is stunning, and does indeed generate joyful feelings.
As for the food, Pietro says it's "healthy Italian food like my mamma cooked while growing up in Italy. Simplicity and great ingredients are key for what we want to do here." And most of it is not pink.
(Photos by Scott Heins/Gothamist)
Pietro Nolita is located at 174 Elizabeth Street near Spring; www.pietronolita.com
Tagged
italian pink
millennial pink
pietro nolita
pink
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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