Aijaz Hakim

Little Italy is a restaurant franchise serving typical Italian food worldwide and we were assigned to design one within a dense concentration of hotels, offices and restaurants in Vashi, Navi Mumbai. The intervention here involves the renovation of the ground and first floor of the building. The modest entry with an M.S. Screen and granite steps take you to a lobby with defining false ceiling. The staircase takes you to the dining area where an existing model was utilized as a centrepiece and circular-lit columns give the relatively small space seem bright and welcoming. The wooden textured wallpaper and veneer panelling give the entire restaurant a warm ambience, well shaded on the sides by screens. The restaurant consists of two rectangular environments indoor and outdoor, which are divided by tall wooden fins and a large interior seating divided by an aluminium partition with a play of turning verticals. These partitions provide a visual depth from the lobby making the restaurant seem more spacious and gave us the opportunity to provide different dining areas within one small space. The outdoor consists of a bar and buffet counter with connecting access to the kitchen hidden from the dining areas. The aim is to create and develop a simple, essential space.