Fullness and harmony, like a circle

“Modern, contemporary and with powerful, harmonious combinations of colours and materials despite the occasional dissonance” is how designers Rosella Grassi, Nicodemo Albanese and Claudia De Candia from Studio GAD describe the style of Octo – Cucina e Miscelazione, a restaurant in Fiano Romano near Rome which aims to offer its customers a unique taste experience, a journey of discovery of local ingredients.
“Never before has a client given us carte blanche as in this project,” explains Rossella Grassi from Studio GAD. “They allowed us the creative freedom necessary to come up with a project that is ambitious, innovative and attractive to both the client and future customers.”
The approximately 130-square-metre space comprises the dining room, the kitchen and the technical areas and uses pure geometries to create an overall sense of continuity. “For the project, we drew inspiration from the symbol of the circle, a representation of totality whose shape expresses fullness and harmony,” continues Rossella Grassi. “The circumference is reminiscent of a wheel, conveying the idea of movement and perfection. A circle can also be a round window looking out onto the world. In the Octo project, for example, the circular window offers a view of the kitchen, the nerve centre of the restaurant.”
It is a harmonious space where colour also plays an important role. “Everything is perfectly balanced and in tone,” observes the architect, “from the concrete shades referencing the grey and blue tones present in the ceramic tiles to the black of the furnishing accessories.” The side walls have been left with a brushed-concrete-like finish along with painted elements in the project’s colour palette; on another wall minimalist neon tubes illuminate the bench and tables; and the ceilings consist of brushed but raw exposed concrete.
“The other leitmotif of the project is the majolica tiles from Ceramica Fioranese’s Fio.Ghiaia collection designed by architect Luigi Romanelli,” continues Rossella Grassi. “A terrazzo-effect majolica with a powerful decorative look that references the transformation of stones from small pebbles into slivers of precious stone.” Installed in the large 60×60 cm size, it was used to create a central carpet-like strip that guides customers from the entrance to the counter. “Straight away we felt it was the central element that our project really needed,” concludes Rosella Grassi. “The re-imagined terrazzo effect was the perfect conclusion.”