Material contrast
An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about material contrast
Project • By Drinkit Design Department • Restaurants
Drinkit on Usacheva Street
The premises on Usacheva Street previously housed a bank. The architects retained the exposed services and the building’s original material fabric, using the contrast between old and new as the basis of the interior. The interplay of matt textures and glossy surfaces underscores Drinkit’s contemporary digital service model.
New finishes and architectural elements were introduced only in the parts of the space with which guests interact directly. Brickwork, aged timber, concrete and fragments of plaster already formed a richly textured backdrop. The new interventions were therefore kept uniformly grey and deliberately understated to avoid overloading the interior with additional materials and accents.
Sergey Melnikov
Ser... More
Project • By Studio Eigen • Showrooms
Essentia
In the pedestrian heart of Padua, Essentia redefines the concept of a showroom through an intervention that works on spatial continuity and the expressive power of surfaces. The project moves beyond simple commercial display to create a unified organism, where cement resin, stone, and wood become architectural matter that guides the visitor from the public dimension of the ground floor toward the immersive and intimate dimension of the basement.
The entrance welcomes the client into a space that becomes an urban scenography. The reception stands out as a monolithic volume in travertine: a tectonic presence that organizes flows and acts as the first material manifesto, directing the gaze toward the hall. Here, the environment is rhythmicall... More