A modern reinterpretation of classicism

Bars and cafés are undoubtedly amongst the most iconic symbols of the Italian lifestyle, locations associated with the pleasure of taking a relaxing break from the stress of everyday living. It was during the height of the economic boom in the late 1950s that Italians, driven by an increasingly hectic pace of life, acquired the habit of stopping off at the bar on their way to work for a quick espresso or cappuccino. As the ritual gradually expanded over the following decades to include much-deserved breaks during the day and a late afternoon aperitif, bars and cafés evolved into the most popular of all public venues. In their various versions of cafeterias, American-style bars, wine bars and lounge bars, these locations have become extremely popular meeting and socialisation places and according to the statistics are frequented by more than fifteen million Italians at least once a day. Their development has proceeded in step with that of Italian society, reflecting its transformations in terms of lifestyle and social models. Well aware of this role as a mirror of daily habits and consumer behaviour, today’s architects and interior designers tasked with designing these important cultural locations strive to create distinctive spaces that will provide a seductive and memorable experience. The meticulously designed interiors, often the result of experimentation with materials, colours, lighting techniques and composition, must be able to offer shared moments of pleasure and relaxation to an increasingly wide and diversified target of consumers. A recent example of this design language in which warm and welcoming atmospheres are combined with a meticulous functional layout is the new CIARA Cafeteria in Rome, not far from Via Tiburtina. The café was designed by architects Raffaele Generotti and Maria Laura Micara from the practice GM Architettura, who combined creativity, innovation and technical expertise in a project that stands out for its elegance and practicality together with a distinctive blend of geometries, materials and colours. Keen to harness the emotional power of colour, the architects opted for a colour scheme that would combine the warm, peaceful and comforting shades of coffee and chocolate with the sense of calm, rigour and cleanliness evoked by creamy white. The floor covering also played a vital role in creating a timeless aesthetic that would appeal emotionally to the widest range of customers by combining a contemporary geometric pattern with a more traditional flavour determined by the specific choice of material. To create the rectangular grid pattern that extends over the entire floor like an elegant carpet, the architects chose porcelain tiles from CIR Manifatture Ceramiche’s Venezia collection in a Lux finish and colours Tortora and Nero. As well as meeting the functional and safety requirements of a public place, including slip, stain and wear resistance, “they echo late-nineteenth-century terrazzo floors, evoking the flavours of historic cafés in a refined classical aesthetic interpreted in a modern style and adapted to contemporary tastes”.