When Ana Hernández and Christophe Penasse of Spanish creative consultancy Masquespacio were commissioned to design the Bun burger restaurant in Milan, they didn’t only create an unforgettable fit-out. The designers also established a new brand manual; a set of rules that could be called upon to guide the interiors of future Bun restaurants. The dominant green colour of the Milanese outlet set the tone for the brand’s interior design identity. As did the furniture, lighting and material palette, including glossy tiles and coloured terrazzo. But there’s wriggle room in the ‘rulebook’ that allows for site-specific design responses, granting a thrilling sense of freedom in all of Bun’s restaurant fit-outs.
In Milan, this flexibility led to existing architectural archways and exposed bricks becoming defining features of the space. At the second Bun restaurant to open under Masquespacio’s vision, located in Turin, three existing windows informed the decision to expand the colour palette and split the interior into three clearly defined sections. “The idea to play with one colour for each window creates a visual effect from the outside that makes the spectator walk from one visual world into the other, travelling through different experiences in the same space,” says Ana, creative director of Masquespacio.
Bun burger restaurant in northern Italy by Masquespacio
The new restaurant in Turin delivers diners from its front door to the counter via a ribbon of pastel green; the same “iconic” shade used at the Bun restaurant in Milan, explains Ana and Christophe. The trademark colour blankets the floor and ceiling and everything that falls within its territory. Including refrigerators, signage and the odd stool which didn’t quite make it over the line into the neighbouring colour zone.
On each side of the central entryway, the newly introduced pink and blue palette lures diners to two completely different sitting spaces. To the left, a segment of the restaurant swathed entirely in tones of fairy-floss pink tempts diners with two semi-private booths. Elevated from the ground level, the booths feature elegant archways – a nod to the fit-out in Milan – while the pink terrazzo stairs that lead to the dining zones pave the way for additional tables and chairs.
The idea to play with one colour for each window creates a visual effect from the outside that makes the spectator walk from one visual world into the other.
Emblazoned with the words ‘Be water my friend’ – a saying made famous by the late martial-arts star Bruce Lee – the blue zone to the right of the restaurant “adds a touch of fun,” remarks Ana. “[It] gives visitors the chance to enjoy the delicious Bun burgers in a space that simulates a huge swimming pool that would make them feel like floating in the water.” Featuring wall-mounted ladders plunging playfully into an ocean of pale-blue tiles, the swimming pool reference isn’t lost on diners. Especially when they consider the porthole-shaped light fittings and the metallic finish of the ceiling – a design device which mimics the effect of diving into a pool of water and looking up at its rippled surface.
With two completed Bun burger restaurants now tucked firmly under their belts, each united by memorable colour, shapes and materiality, Christophe and Ana intend to work on more of the chain’s outlets in Italy. Returning to Milan from Turin, the design duo will roll-out their refined interior design formula in selected spaces across the city, continuing their mission to make the Bun brand edgy, fun and instantly recognisable.
Also in Italy, Masquespacio designed the Bun burger restaurant in Milan. Catch up on more hospitality architecture and design and retail design, plus subscribe to receive the Daily Architecture News e-letter direct to your inbox.
