Oliwa i Ogień is the concept of combining two townhouses with an inner courtyard, which is where we started the whole project.
From the first site visit, we saw it for sure – we will preserve the former courtyard with its distinctive white clinker brick as much as possible, renovate it, and this is where we will set up the entire kitchen. We based the design of the technology on an island layout, around which all the communication and gluten magic will take place, and above which, centrally in the former courtyard, we will hang a huge copper hood, which will be the dominant feature of the whole establishment.
The entire sequence of technological work has been offset to the inside of the walls of the townhouses so as to leave space for seating around a transparent, open interior layout. This gave us the true heart of the concept – a vibrant, open kitchen in the old courtyard of Wrocław’s pre-war townhouses.
On the side of the pedestrianized Oławska Street where we placed two olive trees in large display cases, which came to our project straight from Italy. Around them we designed a round common table, perfect for conversations in larger groups.
From the entrance, we are greeted by a huge bookcase that serves as the bar’s backroom and storage area. It’s here that countless amounts of Aperol, Limoncello, prosecco kegs and refrigerated cabinets for wines, lemons and oranges are stored. All constantly at hand and under the watchful eye of the bartender, without having to run to the back room. There is so much storage that a special, riding ladder was designed to reach the higher shelves, which also house the stock of fresh herbs and utensils that the investors collected from their constant travels to Italian towns and concepts.
On the other side of the street, we located the entrance for deliveries, employees and the preparation rooms for pizza dough, pasta, along with storage facilities and central refrigeration. The height of the rooms allowed us to cover part of the backroom with a mezzanine, accessible from the main hall of the building from Oławska Street. On the mezzanine we located a node of additional toilets and used all the window recesses of the former tenement for intimate seating areas overlooking the rest of the concept.
The mezzanine ends with a small enclosed room overlooking Dominikanska Square, ideal for shared events with a larger group of friends.
Oliwa i Ogień is such a sincere concept that we have focused on its transparency from the very beginning. The quality of the products used, the beautiful process of the kitchen and the selected Italian delicatessen are what we wanted to show with our design.
The transparency of the process is consistent with the design of the rest of the interior, which looks into the kitchen in every axis.