Nestled inside a historic former college within the New Bahru advanced, Somma is a brand new Puglian high-quality eating restaurant that marries trendy design with the area’s timeless magnificence. Housed in a former library area, Somma’s interiors are the brainchild of London- and Sydney-based design agency Good Initiatives and replicate a minimal but tactile Italian spirit that completely enhances the constructing’s hanging structure.
Somma’s design is deeply rooted in its culinary inspiration. The restaurant is the imaginative and prescient of Italian chef Mirko Febbrile, whose title for the institution — Somma, that means ‘sum’ in Italian — speaks to his perception that luxurious at this time could be outlined by collective, considerate selections. Febbrile’s temporary to the designers was clear: the area ought to evoke the spirit of his southern Italian house, but stay modern in its interpretation.
“We have been cautious to keep away from making a pastiche of Italian design,” says Good Initiatives’ Sacha Leong. “We didn’t wish to reference something too closely and so very a lot added our personal customized parts.” The design problem was to respect the strict geometry of the modernist constructing, with its hovering vaulted ceilings, whereas creating an area that felt each snug and refined.
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Somma is split into two distinct areas: a high-quality eating restaurant and a extra informal pasta bar, separated by a chic stairway. Each areas are united by a cohesive design language that celebrates basic Italian supplies. The restaurant options refined travertine and gray marble, whereas the pasta bar introduces purple travertine and peach linen upholstery. Sheer curtains subtly nod to conventional Apulian lace workshops and a sinuous 14-metre-long travertine counter on the bar attracts consideration with its distinctive type.
The lounge space, adjoining to the bar, options mushy velvet banquettes and peach-coloured linen sofas, complemented by leather-upholstered armchairs and bespoke concrete espresso tables. Upstairs, the primary eating space is grounded by customized tables and leather-based eating chairs, positioned on a travertine and marble grid sample. Suspended above, frosted glass pendants add a contact of refinement.
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One of many restaurant’s most iconic options is the tiled wall in the primary eating space. Working alongside Puglian ceramic artist Vincenzo Del Monaco, Good Initiatives created a 6.5-metre-long tiled wall, made up of 230 handmade ceramic tiles. The collaboration prolonged to the design of Somma’s crockery, with Good Initiatives and Del Monaco experimenting with numerous glazes to create a fragile but distinctive coloration palette. “We beloved working with Vincenzo,” says Leong. “We examined many glazes to create a fragile but distinctive coloration palette and laid out all of the tiles individually in Vincenzo’s workshop to create the proper composition.”
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A key aspect within the personal eating space is a classic pine desk, salvaged from an early Twentieth-century monastery in Puglia. Sourced from an vintage vendor in Cisternino, the desk exudes historical past, providing a good looking juxtaposition to the modern, trendy design parts.
In step with the restaurant’s ethos of sustainability and native craftsmanship, Good Initiatives additionally partnered with Fondazione Le Costantine, a weaving and embroidery laboratory primarily based in Casamassella, a small southern Italian city. This basis, which offers refuge to feminine victims of violence and abuse, crafted three handwoven rugs that now adorn Somma’s lounge space, wine cellar, and personal eating room.
At Somma, the fastidiously curated supplies, artisanal craftsmanship and considerate spatial preparations make this restaurant as a lot in regards to the expertise of eating as it’s in regards to the artwork of design.
