The team at Studio Osmosis knows its inspirations and its affinity for basic metal surfaces, a restrained lighting scheme, and use of elements that represent the concerned brand or owner’s defining characteristics.
While designing Pizza Express in Powai, Mumbai, Studio Osmosis stuck to a dexterous balance of inspirations, combining industrial roughness in honour of Powai, a low-clutter flooring plan illuminated by warm lighting to create a youthful appeal, and a few elements of uniqueness that would distinguish the outlet from the long list of others in the world.
The team had 1,800 sq. ft. to realise this scheme, and succeeds in creating a memorable experience through a focus on the fauna and flora of the neighbourhood. “The design of Pizza Express Powai was inspired by the peace, tranquillity and the beautiful biodiversity. Unique birds abound in the Powai Lake even though it is in the midst of this buzzing and highly developed suburb of Powai,” the team asserts. The clincher here, indeed, is a beautiful cluster of metal birds sitting on wires affixed at the ceiling and overlooking the linear expanse of American deli-like seating that features plush sofas and chairs and tables in aqua-green, light grey, and aqua-marine hues. Edison bulbs spewing yellow light hang down from in between these birds.
The lighting scheme, including the basic metal lamp-shades, highlight the calm of the wood panelling with its herringbone pattern, the wooden trusses, the marble table-tops, the stout in-situ concrete wall columns, the sweep of brick walls, and the Pizza Express-regulation 3D-esque floor pattern of white-grey-black, pre-cast cement. This effect of breezy brightness is accentuated by the generous natural light streaming in from the sectioned glass and black aluminium entrance wall, the black-painted 12 ft-high ceiling and the Black Portoro Marble-adorned service areas that have been left open and spot lit with gleaming steel. This eatery is a complete industrial chic delight!
