FINCH BAR | studio didea

Studio Didea recently completed the conversion of a former laundromat into a sushi bar.

Located in a historical building near Teatro Massimo (Palermo), Finch Sushi stands out for its Hype vibe mixing an urban style with a minimalist design.

The floorplan wasn’t especially fit to be transformed into a restaurant. The architects decided to organize the space in 3 different volumes, each measuring just a few square meters: a restaurant room/refreshment bar, the kitchen with its restrooms, and the toilets destined to the customers. The big windows facing the street grant abundance of natural light into the interiors.

To underline the contemporary character of the intervention, the architects played with the juxtaposition of red neon lights with the dark colours featured on wall paint, plaster coverings, the black metal grids on the ceiling, and storage furniture.

The flooring is made of light-coloured concrete contrasting the intense black of the walls of the new volumes – kitchen, restrooms and countertops.

For the countertops and the covering of the arches facing the street, the architects used natural black iron. Even the tiles used in the kitchen, in the refreshment bar, in the toilets, and on the walls by the seating area are black. While red tile grout reinforces the character of the project, echoing the colour of the neon lights installed on the walls and the ceiling.

Neons are the real protagonists of the project, conferring the space a unitary vibe - reflected also in the logo. It is exactly the lighting system that makes the project stand out and associate it with the aesthetics typical of a great metropolis.

For the furniture, the architects opted for chairs and stools made of red tubular, whose appearance feels more outdoor than indoor; a choice reflecting the concept that the restaurant is a filter space between the kitchen and the city, whose few square meters are imbued of a strong hype character.

Project: Finch Sushi Restaurant

Client: Finch s.r.l.s.

Type of Project: Refurbishment, Interior Design

Year: 2021

Location: Palermo

Area: 45 m2

Building Contractor: Di Pace Gaetano Costruzioni SRL

Materials:  Concrete / Iron / Gres / Plaster for exterior

Flooring: SIRGUM concrete

Coverings: Iron / Marazzi Hello Tiles black 7.5 x 15 cm / SIRGUM plaster for exterior

Ironwork: Aiello Arredo

Woodwork: Passarello Vito

Wall plaster and concrete: Sirgum

Ventilation and suction systems: D’Arpa impianti di aspirazione

Furniture’s supplier: L/C 14

Furniture pieces: Chairs MIDJ Trampoliere – Stool MIDJ Trampoliere – Table Bistrot MIDJ Trampoliere H107

Kitchen’s Project: Spina FrigoMarket

Lighting: Wever & Ducrè – LiD Design / Red Neons - La Commare Palermo

Plants: Vivai Lo Verso Federico

Photo credits: Serena Eller©