Dezeen promotion: celebrity chef Alessandro Borghese has opened a new restaurant in Milan, featuring an interior that pairs Neolith Sintered Stone with shades of gold and green.

Named Alessandro Borghese – Il Lusso della Semplicità, the 700-square-metre restaurant was styled by designer Alfredo Canelli, who works for Borghese's company AB Normal.

Borghese's brief was to use a range of materials to evoke "the atmosphere of the golden age of the 1930s transatlantic cruise liner".

To achieve this, Canelli chose to used Neolith Sintered Stone – a recyclable material made by Spanish company TheSize Surfaces – in a variety of finishes, including marble, granite, wood and metal.

These surfaces are complemented by hexagonal green tiles and splashes of gold, most noticeably on the ceiling.

Neolith's marble-like Calacatta Silk provides the bar worktops, allowing the chefs to plate directly onto the surfaces without having to worry about staining.

"For Chef Borghese, the possibilities presented to work directly onto the surface with oils, vegetables, fruits, fish and meat is amazing," said Canelli.

"It's easy to clean, it does not scratch, it does not stain and it does not leave smells," continued Canelli. "Above all it's so hygienic you can eat your meal directly off the stone itself. It’s these qualities which make it a flawless addition to the restaurant."

Taking advantage of these qualities, the restaurant also uses pieces of Neolith as small plates for serving tapas-style dishes.

Neolith Calacatta Silk reoccurs through the restaurant, including on the walls, a set of stairs and the bathroom vanities.

A contrasting darker material, Neolith Nero Zimbabwe, provides flooring in the dining room. Meanwhile, the wood-like Neolith La Bohème is used for flooring in the bathrooms.

"The cooking might be exceptional but the restaurant and what goes into it needs to reflect the high standards of the cuisine," said Borghese.

"I was attracted to Neolith for its variety of sublime colours and patterns, as well as an admiration of the skill and care behind its production. Like me, Neolith seeks perfection, offering an ideal stage on which to bring my vision to life and let my imagination run wild!"

Last year Neolith worked with RCR Arquitectes to create the colour-washed walls and surfaces for the interiors of a restaurant in Barcelona.

Photography is by Guido Antonelli.