The designs presented in this volume offer a wide and varied vision of the latest trends in bar and restaurant design, selected from the most cutting-edge, wining-and-dining hotspots in the world. With ...
This Italian pizza chain’s latest restaurant shows off a new wave of marine-inspired style.
By Mary Scoviak
When Costa Group’s designers saw the empty interiors that would become the new Anema e Cozze on Via Palermo, they knew they needed a concept that could convey a casual, third-space ambience and deliver a look suited to a menu of seafood-topped pizzas. Taking the fare as their starting point, they synthesized the natural world of the ocean with touches reminiscent of life on a ship to create a simple yet differentiated aesthetic for this growing Italian restaurant brand. Anema e Cozze’s “sea e pizza” tagline informs every aspect of the design. Sculpted mermaids frame the red-brick vaulted arches, evoking figureheads on a ship. A stone basin holds live fish for diners to select. Seashells cover shades on lamps used in the underground level. But it’s the massive octopus reaching out from its position above the pizza oven that really drives home the theme.
Some of the elements are more subtle. For example, re-imagining the existing brick wall with a coat of white paint echoed sun-bleached planking on a ship—as well providing an opportunity for conserving part of the pre-existing building. Exposed copper piping snakes along the ceiling, recalling the mechanics of a submarine or steamship. Bleached wood tables and white benches continue the shipboard feel. Rough rock-strewn columns complete the aquatic effect.
This new approach to theming relies heavily on material choices and a few well-chosen accents to make the concept pop. Oceanic wall colors, natural textures and visible architectural detail add sophistication to an approachable space. From ocean to music to world travel, escapist design is once again top of mind.
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