Villa Grigio, cafe bar | The Dashing Designers

A tree is seeking for a garden...

In a corner building of the 30s in Paleo Faliro the Dashing Designers in cooperation with the Studio Materiality have designed the new bar aperitivo, Villa Grigio.

Meeting at first an empty outdoor space, the team of the designers visualized a tree in the center of it. The idea was born from the need to create an assembly point and at the same time to be isolated from the environment of the city. Thereafter the tree was surrounded by four smaller trees and additional plants along the property line.

In the yard they used rough materials, such as concrete and metal.

Thus the design begun from the exterior and was continued in the interior.

On both sides of the building, the openings became larger, creating a continuity of the outside with the inside.

The interior is particularly atmospheric.

On both vertical walls, a wooden irregular grid currently hosts works of the art photographer, Romina Ressia. There is the ability of hosting different artists' exhibits time to time.

Indoors, the dominant materials is the oak on the floor and the metal in combination with the marble on bar. These natural materials use to be aged evenly such as these have been used for the furniture. The coffee tables are made of metal and wood and the armchairs from wood and leather.

The lighting, both outside and inside, aims to create a theatrical sense. Bundles of very small spots target on the trees and on the pictures, directing the gaze.