London & South East

Creating Olivocarne

Olivocarne  Restaurant, Elizabeth Street, London

Situated on Elizabeth Street, London, Olivocarne is the latest site from Olivo restaurants.

Olivocarne opened in August 2012 and is devoted to all things meat, with a menu dedicated to chargrills, pastas, game, offal and more.

Olivocarne is a fantastic eatery, presenting sumptuous cuisine in an imaginative setting. The design ā€“ which was implemented by architect Pierluigi Piu ā€“ takes its inspiration from Sardinia, the home of Olivo owner Mauro Sanna, and includes terracotta artwork, oak furniture and pastel coloured walls.

Olivocarne  Restaurant, Elizabeth Street, London

The design of the restaurant compliments Olivocarneā€™s menu perfectly, which includes such tempting dishes as Pollo A Succhittu, Formaggi Misti Sardi and Cotoletta Alla Milanese. Meanwhile the menu is backed up by an extensive wine list, including red, white and dessert wines.

Discussing the design of Olivocarne, Pierluigi Piu, said:

ā€œIt was my intention, when designing this new venue for Olivo to narrate about Sardinia (mine and the proprietorā€™s home) through iconographic references to its traditional economy and the works of contemporary artist Eugenio Tavolara.

ā€œFar from wishing to evoke Sardinia through trite images, good for ā€˜low costā€™ tourism, my tale has been told with a language which winks at contemporary design.ā€

Olivocarne  Restaurant, Elizabeth Street, London

The exterior of the restaurant is decked out in an inviting shade of aubergine, whilst internally the entrance lobby includes a fire resistant glazed divider. From the lobby guests can access a set of stairs which lead to the upper floor, where a bar and small terrace is located.

The main space of the restaurant is filled with a gorgeous dining room, split across two areas of the building. The dining area sits at ground level above the kitchens and staff quarters ,and includes such features as under lit upholstered banquette, walls covered with dove grey CorianĀ® panels and a 17 square meter wide skylight.

The restaurant includes a suspended ceiling made from a thermo-stretched membrane, produced by French manufacturer Barrisol. The ceiling is micro perforated, in order for it to be permeable to sound waves, and includes integrated light appliances.

One of the most striking elements of the restaurantā€™s design is the use of wall art, which transforms the eating space into a mini-gallery. The walls are covered in the most decorative imagery imaginable, all in keeping with the theme of depicting Sardinian history.

Olivocarne  Restaurant, Elizabeth Street, London

Pierluigi said:

ā€œOlivocarne includes the work of some skilled Sardinian artisans, like sisters Stefania and Cristina ArƬu who have moulded a huge bas-relief of bucolic inspiration, and Mauro Angius who has given life to a crowd of peasants, horsemen, shephards, wild boars and hunters; animating the walls in an imaginary gallery which evokes Sardinian country life.ā€

Peter Jusko was the main contractor on Olivocarne, whilst ceramist sisters Stefania & Cristina ArƬu provided Olivocarne with terracotta artwork. Mauro Angius was responsible for the restaurantā€™s Corian silhouettes and Pedro Pinto was the lighting designer on the restaurant.

v

For more information about Olivocarne or any of the restaurants within the Olivo restaurants portfolio, please visit: www.olivorestaurants.com.

About the author

Roma Publications