A glamorous location for a relaxing break near Caserta

«The warm, elegant atmosphere of a bar that serves as the focal point of the shopping centre and as a meeting place for professionals and shopkeepers» is the description of Juiss Premium Bar provided by Michele Iacopo Laezza and Giosuè Violante, architects at the practice 2A Architetti. The new venue is located on the ground floor of a recently constructed retail complex overlooking Via Nazionale Appia in Curti, a strategic road connecting several towns with the neighbouring province of Caserta. «The design brief provided by the owner of the complex, the Piccirillo Group, was to give it a luxury feel while keeping down costs and avoiding overly expensive choices,» continue the architects. «We proposed a contemporary style with retro-chic touches, such as the coffered ceiling and vintage-effect oak strip panelling.»
The retail space extends over an area of approximately 70 square metres. «The challenge was to organise a functional bar counter for a medium-high flow of people and suitable for both a cafeteria service during the day and a cocktail service in the evening,» said the architects. «To achieve this, we opted for an L-shaped counter, where the short side consists of the street-facing cocktail station dominated by a large bottle rack and the other is the cafeteria counter next to the entrance, which provides a very comfortable space for staff to work.» For this modern bar, studio 2A Architetti chose two collections from Marazzi: small-size 6×24 cm porcelain tiles from the Crogiolo Lume collection, selected in the Blue version to decorate and personalise the bar counter in harmony with the blue velvet of the seating, and stone-effect porcelain tiles from the Mystone Ceppo di Gré collection in a 75×150 cm size for the floor and a portion of the wall, creating a decorative panelling effect that coordinates dramatically with the wood strips on the wall. «We often use Ceppo di Gré in our projects because it fits in with our clean and essential design philosophy and lends itself to multiple styles without being intrusive. Initially we had also planned to use it as the cladding for the bar counter, but in the end we decided to inject a splash of colour by selecting the Crogiolo Lume Blue series. Along with the characteristics of durability and sustainability typical of ceramic tiles, we also appreciated the clean and essential aesthetics of the Mystone Ceppo di Gré collection and the burst of colour provided by the Crogiolo Lume line.»