Guarini

VenueTurin, Italy

ClientGuarino

Year2019

Concept

Guarini is a new food & wine spot on Via Guarini, in Turin. Inspired by the name of the street, its interiors pay homage to the iconic architect of the city’s baroque heritage – with flair and a touch of irony, especially in decor.

Development

Exposed brick walls frame a space defined by colors and materials: Guarini’s bar area is dominated by dark gray Viroc panels, with details in warm limba wood; the seating area reverses the formula, and lets the lighter tones of the wood take over. The showstopper here is the aluminum dome suspended above the tables that are closest to the windows: a 4-meter-wide installation that celebrates Guarini’s most famous masterpiece, the Chapel of the Holy Shroud.

Guarini and his unique chapel are also the inspiration behind a second highlight in the restaurant’s interiors: a wall in the private area that is entirely decorated with a parametric pattern, inspired by the geometric design the dome reveals from below. The brass background was acid etched, leading to a gradual oxidation that has turned the wall itself into a living element, an organism able to change over time with the surrounding space.

The large shared table completes the area around the counter, the use of limba wood providing continuity between the two elements.

The custom and modular wine rack was built by welding together burnished iron bars.

The sideboards include a monolithic base unit on the bottom and a light metal structure on the top, which ends in a plant vase. By tipping slightly forward, they allow greenery to find its way between the wall and the metal grid.