Fullness and harmony, like a circle

« Modern, contemporary and with powerful, harmonious combinations of colours and materials despite the occasional dissonance » is how designers Rosella Grassi, Nicodemo Albanese and Claudia De Candia from Studio GAD describe the style of Octo – Cucina e Miscelazione, a restaurant in Fiano Romano near Rome which aims to offer its customers a unique taste experience, a journey of discovery of local ingredients.
« Never before has a client given us carte blanche as in this project, » explains Rossella Grassi from Studio GAD. « They allowed us the creative freedom necessary to come up with a project that is ambitious, innovative and attractive to both the client and future customers. »
The approximately 130-square-metre space comprises the dining room, the kitchen and the technical areas and uses pure geometries to create an overall sense of continuity. « For the project, we drew inspiration from the symbol of the circle, a representation of totality whose shape expresses fullness and harmony, » continues Rossella Grassi. « The circumference is reminiscent of a wheel, conveying the idea of movement and perfection. A circle can also be a round window looking out onto the world. In the Octo project, for example, the circular window offers a view of the kitchen, the nerve centre of the restaurant. »
It is a harmonious space where colour also plays an important role. « Everything is perfectly balanced and in tone, » observes the architect, « from the concrete shades referencing the grey and blue tones present in the ceramic tiles to the black of the furnishing accessories. » The side walls have been left with a brushed-concrete-like finish along with painted elements in the project’s colour palette; on another wall minimalist neon tubes illuminate the bench and tables; and the ceilings consist of brushed but raw exposed concrete.
« The other leitmotif of the project is the majolica tiles from Ceramica Fioranese’s Fio.Ghiaia collection designed by architect Luigi Romanelli, » continues Rossella Grassi. « A terrazzo-effect majolica with a powerful decorative look that references the transformation of stones from small pebbles into slivers of precious stone. » Installed in the large 60×60 cm size, it was used to create a central carpet-like strip that guides customers from the entrance to the counter. « Straight away we felt it was the central element that our project really needed, » concludes Rosella Grassi. « The re-imagined terrazzo effect was the perfect conclusion. »