Located in the heart of Saigon’s District One, Bambino caters for eighty guests, with plenty more room for its after-dinner supper club service.
Anchored by a large central void topping out two floors below, the kitchen is separated from the main Restaurant, Bar, Private Dining Room and outdoor Terrace.
In keeping with a brief that required an Italian dining experience that could seamlessly transition to a late-night music venue, Looks Generous honed in on their Client’s future minded values to drive the venue narrative.
As a data-driven, narrative-led design office, Looks Generous explored how one might imagine a future today by referencing the artistic values of two contrasting Italian luminaries. Leaning towards the cutting edge and a rejection of the classically ornate – a philosophy employed by mid-century architect Carlo Scarpa – informed spatial planning and detailing.
In parallel with this, DJ and producer Daniele Baldelli, who’s 1980’s nightclub ‘Cosmic’ on the shores of Lake Garda led the rise of the ‘Cosmic-Italo’ sound defines the venues aural and atmospheric attitude during their dinner, bar and late-night service. Their forward-thinking spirit to evolve their craft - especially from within a country where history and tradition is everything - offered the perfect metaphor from which to reflect their clients values into the Bambino experience.
‘From our initial meeting, we were acutely aware of their business and guest experience needs, says Looks Generous co-director, CJ Wright.
‘Creating venues that deliver indelible guest experiences to create the conditions that exceed commercial objectives is of equal importance to us. Design is just the medium by which we help restaurants thrive, experientially, culinarily and financially’.
Highlights of the space included the aluminium waffle ceiling light feature, a 14 person private dining room, a 10 meter long claret hued oak panelled bar and feature wine wall all jostling for attention.
Wright notes, a good example of data driven design is understanding consumer psychology and how choices are made. ‘To unlock revenue, we designed a wine wall so guests would select their bottles from the label’s visual cues rather than a barrage of text found in today’s wine lists, which aid’s the upselling process. In today’s digital world, for better or worse, images sell everything.’
