Tag Archives: concrete

05/03

Jaffa, Tel Aviv

Jaffa, a Tel Aviv restaurant, has an industrial design with a soft feel. The high ceilinged interior has floor to ceiling windows with wooden shutters that pivot open to create a light and airy atmosphere. Industrial pendant lamps are used in repetition over the mix and match tables and chairs that are dotted around the restaurant. The bare, industrial architecture of the space is enhanced by the rough concrete finish of the floor and ceiling, which juxtaposes a tapestry of delicate Turkish carpets with subtle patterns that line the walls. Although the space uses a subdued pallet of colours, it really comes alive as a result of the combination of rough and soft textures that are used throughout.

(Images via Dezeen)

23/02

Casa Do Conto, Porto

Casa do Conto (House of Tales in Portuguese) a concept hotel in Cedofeita, Porto, has had a rocky start. The charming XIX Century Oporto House was lovingly restored by Pedra Liquida Architects, after which a fire virtually destroyed the building just days before its reopening. A new building was built on the site with the memory of the old structure in mind. The architects thought of the new skin as a type of ‘fossil’ of the historic. The project references the ornate nature of its predecessor with abstract textures and texts applied to concrete surfaces.

Apart from the textured surfaces, the design was approached with restraint and the resulting spaces seem appropriately quiet and poetic. The overall design manages to have a strong identity of its own while subtly referencing the site’s turbulent background.

(Images via Yatzer)

21/10

Cantina de Comida Mexicana, Mexico City

Architects Taller Tiliche designed a restaurant in Mexico City that operates as a  Mexican food canteen.  They decided on a neutral palete and kept materials in their natural state as far as possible, the result is an unfinished look.

A polished concrete floor creates a continuation between the indoor and outdoor spaces, inviting passing pedestrians in. Walls were painted white and tiled upto 1.2 m height with concrete tiles. The ceiling was purposefully left unfinished, with holes and lumps of plaster littering its surface.

Folding timber shutters can open the restaurant up completely to the street front and allowing natural light to wash into the space.

Sanded wooden tables and benches are paired with steel folding chairs and shelves stacked with bottles stretch across the bar, as well as between the kitchen and dining room. The result is a simple, casually unfinished, yet chic interior that encourages leisurely eating.

(Images via Dezeen)