Elaia Restaurant | PAPALEXATOS ARCHITECTS

"The crossroads of Erisos", as the locals call it. The village of Maganos in Kefalonia is a place of passage, meeting and starting point of activities. A "cluster" which does not remain constant but changes, either geographically-morphologically or spatially (Land Use). In such an alternating landscape, the design of‘Elaia’ Restaurant was a challenge in "keeping the variable boundaries" between the historicity of the place, tradition andthe modern approach. For this reason, the design proposal combines gentle interventions, which characterize the place. The "forced" passage through the village, renders to the place the concept of the polymorphic, the alternating but also the modern "motif" that is preserved in time. Typically, the use of Claustra (κλωστρά), expresses the multiplicity of the design and its timelessness through repetition. The colors of white and olive green are-as a whole,elements of the Greek tradition. For this reason, the equipment, such as seats, tables and partitions in the store uses these shades. Distinctive is the column in the center of the store,which is emphasized even more by being a three-dimensional blackboard, a strong element that aims to inform and stimulate the customer's interest in the offered product of the restaurant. Τwo intersecting circles are the logo of the company, reminding us that the interventions will be simple, but also complex in their essence. The interior layout follows the same simple rules. In the dining room, sofas with seats are planned in three places, promoting a kind of "alternative" contact and gathering. On the south and east side, a small bar area is planned, which is connected lengthwise with the perforated decoration (claustra) at the base. The cash register and the wall partition that is placed before the entrance to the bathrooms confine the room from the cook house area. The lighting consists of linear elements and will be made "a misura" for the area. Horizontal wooden white elements have ropes that fold in the wood, reminiscent of tradition, the village, the gathering, the public… The kitchen area for functional reasons remains white. On the outside, the existing pergola is maintained by adding lighting fixtures, which in this case, however, are not designed as the ones inside, but retain their "folklore" –more casual– character. Due to the fact that the restaurant is located next to the main road, and the courtyard is adjacent to it, an element of acoustic and visual demarcation is planned with the upper point, closing with one of the key elements of the Mediterranean landscape, the aromatic rosemary. The semicircular area north of the plot is cleaned, emphasizing the presence of the two olive trees and is paved with gravel for better drainage of rainwater. The architectural interventions as a whole help the users, without hindering the movement, the service and the actual purpose of the visit to the restaurant, which is none other than the meeting and the pleasure of eating and drinking.