It’s a shoe rack. No, it’s a bread shelf.

Erica Diskin

Where Capo, a vast new Italian restaurant in Southie.

What An antique shoe rack-turned-bread shelf. (Don’t worry, it’s beenfully cleansed.)

Whose Idea This South Boston space was built in 1942, so designer Erica Diskin wanted to find decor from the early 20th century. Plus, the restaurant used to be a dollar store, so the shopping theme worked. Happily, restaurant co-owner Eric Aulenback just so happened to own a shoe rack from one of New England’s old factories, so Diskin seized it for a carb showcase. “Eric is really into bread. He wanted guests to see a lot of it,” she explains. Now, Iggy’s breads stand on display near the open kitchen. The footwear theme continues throughout: A backroom bar top was constructed with heart pine from a bygone Boston-area Converse factory. “This is a huge space, but we wanted to make sure it felt cozy and rustic,” Diskin says.

443 West Broadway, South Boston, 617-993-8080, www.caposouthboston.com