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MAMA ROMA

Facility

Our team was invited to take part in decoration of the Italian Mama Roma Restaurant with a 20-years’ history. The first restaurant of this network was opened in St. Petersburg in 1998, and they still serve pizza from a wood-stove, wine, and Italian gourmet items there.

Our facility was a lounge of 150 m2, located in the center of Sochi, a city in the south of Russia, and this conditioned some of the design decisions made.
We had to transform a former Mango clothes shop to a cozy restaurant in the heart of a modern resort. The all-glass façade of the restaurant overlooks the promenade that leads to the sea. In immediate proximity to the restaurant, there are palm trees and sub-tropical shrubs.

Planning solutions

The space of the restaurant was divided into three parlors. The first one at the entrance resembles a bistro with its bentwood chairs; the second has a massive table for big companies and an open pizzeria where you can watch your pizza made; and the third contains a large island sofa and an open kitchen.

Finishing solutions

After a discussion, we decided to be consistent with the brand interior design, and yet make our restaurant up-to-date and find some modern formats for traditional methods.
The previous tenant left us polished limestone floors, and we thought it was a good idea to use some of them in our new interior.

Limestone and plaster were complemented with cement tiles and pyramid-shaped panels, as well as ceramic lamp-shades at conventionalized arch-like stands, and laconic rattan lamps. All of these were hand made by crafters at local sites in accordance with customized drawings.

All the wood pieces, including vanity units, tabletops, waiters stations, hostess stands, and display racks were made to order of solid oak wood and supplemented with bronze details. All the walls and ceilings were plastered to create a setting of a typical Italian trattoria. The fresco at the bottom of the wall didn’t appear there by chance – it protects the material from every-day wear.

We’ve designed another important functional element for this project – guided sunscreen roller blinds that can be moved along the glass panels, protecting visitors from scorching sunshine. Patterns of the panels echo shelves above the bar, the pizzeria, and the open kitchen.

Decorations of this interior keeps on the environment: spectacular setting is provided by mature olive trees in tubs, making guests feel as if they are in Italy. We placed those trees along the façade and the walls to ensure a smooth inside-outside transition. The theme of trees was supported with hanging flower baskets and vases with tallow tree branches on the tables.