Fucina Restaurant

Amidst the typical London environment, Fucina is a haven for refuge from the buzz of the city. Using the space to produce a faithful portrait of the Italian taste, AMA resolved the design with a contemporary representation of all the elements that compose the rich Italian culture. The challenge was to create an environment that reflected the statement: ‘Organic produce, sustainably sourced and prepared honestly using Italian artisanal techniques’ It was our responsibility not only to create the environment but also to name and brand the restaurant. Our response was to produce a faithful portrait of Italian taste, with a contemporary representation of elements that reflect the rich Italian culture. The unique handmade ‘antico mattoni’ ceiling, formed and warped like an inverted Italian 18th Century vaulted brick soffit, creates a visually dynamic atmosphere in the raw and inspiring restaurant. The view of the street is obscured by a floor to ceiling steel framed screen with handmade coloured glass infill panels, producing an ecclesiastical environment with its wax candle wall lights. The floors are hand laid marble chips set into traditional ‘terrazzo cemento’ borders, reminiscent of Carlo Scarpa’s Olivetti building. Hand ‘decaped’ timber floors flow centrally throughout the restaurant. Within the formality of the box the floors and soffit are softened with flowing lines, reinforcing the organic nature of the restaurant offer. Materials too reinforce this, with handmade bricks, forestwood marble and burnt steel panelling details. Even the smaller scale elements such as the furniture are riddled with knots in the timber frames and large tabletops rest on shaped tree branches.