The 1930s was a glamourous decade that conjures up images of lamé evening gowns, fur stoles, bows and ruffle sleeves, Hollywood starlets such as Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo, and sophisticated powder colours. Even today, almost a century later, the period continues to be a source of inspiration. A good example is the Glam bar/ice-cream parlour in Tivoli, a town 30 kilometres from Rome, where the interior designers from the practice OFF Roma sought to recreate the glamorous look of that decade using elegant colour contrasts and vintage decorations.
This spacious location, “open from good morning to goodnight” as the owners put it, has a large, well-equipped bar counter, a small, relaxed sitting area furnished with green marble tables and velvet chairs, and an ice-cream parlour with a more vibrant, colourful look. “Our approach is to start out from an idea and a historical period and then infuse it with contemporary references, focusing above all on the use of non-mass-produced accessories and details,” explain the interior designers from OFF Roma. In the specific case of Glam, the designers drew inspiration from the 1930s in the choice of distinctive and rather sophisticated furnishings and accessories. “We believe that the personality of an interior is crucially important,” they explain. “For this reason, we don’t normally purchase furnishings from well-known and often overrated brands but prefer to focus on offerings from smaller companies that we have selected over the years, many of which are northern European, and on handcrafted products created especially for the client.” The interior designers also devoted a lot of attention to the lighting, “as is evident in the large curved brass bar counter structures terminating in opaline spheres, custom-made like almost everything else in the restaurant”. Sustainability was another important aspect that can be seen in the focus on recycling and the choice of materials. One example is the use of porcelain stoneware tiles from Marca Corona, which are free of harmful plastics and synthetic substances, contribute to LEED V4 credits by improving the building’s sustainability rating, and boast important certifications such as Green Guard. Porcelain stoneware takes centre stage at the entrance and in the counter area in the form of modern, colourful cement tiles from the Terra.Art collection and urban-chic bricks from the Regoli collection, while the bathrooms have a total look based on Mediterranean-style tiles from the Storie d’Italia line. Combining colour and decoration with strength and practicality, these collections accompany customers on a journey back in time, whether for breakfast or for a pre-dinner aperitif.
