splaash is a seafood restaurant that “surfaced” in Catanzaro Lido in 2025. The venue’s location, overlooking the Port of Catanzaro, alongside its sloping entrance, defined the core concept: “an underwater space.”

Between the indoor entrance and the outer gate, a 400-square-meter courtyard kept the venue “submerged”—hidden from the view of passing customers for a whole year. The challenge was transforming those 400 square meters into a runway that could guide guests inside and bring splaash directly out onto the sidewalk.

If the interior is an “underwater” realm, what could the exterior be other than life on the water’s surface? This gave birth to the outdoor concept: a space where guests can choose whether to “float” outside or “dive in” inside.

The flooring—finished with walkable epoxy resin—defines the outdoor layout. On the sides, bold blue areas mark the dining zones; down the center, a sand-colored path framed by lines mimicking the shoreline forms the walkway guiding guests indoors.

Through a clever reuse project, the gate evolved from a plain, generic structure into the very emblem of the venue’s identity: the splaash logo is fused with a classic deep-sea diver’s helmet. The name speaks to the outdoors, while the helmet hints at the deep dive waiting inside.

The dining area “floats” within a grid of 2.5-meter-tall splaash-blue steel beams, each anchored into a raw concrete block—a direct nod to the rugged breakwaters of the Catanzaro harbor just a few yards away. Above, a sail covering the tables forms gentle waves that anchor the posts together.

At the entrance, a stepped terraced seating area serves the kiosk. The white steps paired with mobile coral-colored tables offer a playful, tongue-in-cheek nod to a nigiri.

Bringing it all together, the entire space is illuminated by spherical light fixtures, floating like bubbles of seafoam.