El Greco | yellow office architecture

Bistro is a word derived from the Russian bystro (meaning ‘fast’) which Russian officers used to refer to a fast serving. It’s assumed that the word had entered the vocabulary along with the Russian occupation of Paris in 1814 and led to the emergence of a new style of restaurant.

The combination between the Russian bystro and the French chic serving was the inspiration for a new concept: a family type restaurant with gentle contrasts and retro accents.

The design is influenced by classical elements typical of Parisian bars. There can be seen wall cladding panels, stucco and plaster cornices, hexagonal ceramic floor tiles usually found in the French eateries.

The distribution of light, both natural and artificial, plays an important role in the general ambience. The lighting units were specifically designed to allow flexibility to the space. Sliding rail and extendable body enable the creation of various scenes into space. Indirect lighting accentuates the bar zone.

Significant attention was paid to choosing the materials. To achieve this retro effect were used natural materials whose patina should keep the atmosphere. Copper (lighting units, bar, volumetric letters) plays an important role; it is a classical touch, a material that adds value to the general atmosphere.

The tile floor is an apparent random intersection between classical hexagons  and wood. It creates scroll directions for space and a gradation of color and light. The four colors used for the hexagons are graded towards natural light. Thus the space becomes intimate in the central zone and ‘luminous’ towards the frontage.