Restaurant Nambu - Roots Cuisine
Autorship:
Architecture and Interior Design – Flavia Machado
Branding, graphic and product design – Bloketo – company run by Raquel Machado & Flavia Machado
Architecture, branding and product design for the restaurant Nambu – Cozinha de Raíz ( Roots Cuisine) in São Paulo, Brazil.
Focusing on comfort and tranquility, this project prioritized the connection with nature and local culture in the architecture, interiors and design. The space reminds a lovely terrace and functions as an oasis in the middle of the busy São Paulo. It has a garden with native brazilian plants and lots of natural light, water fountain, fireplace and pleasant armchairs, creating a great ambience for the healthy and regional cuisine that the restaurant offers.
In the branding, graphic design and accessories choices, we valued the brazilian culture and knowledge, and did some traditions reviews, mixing old techniques with contemporary ones, as the cuisine at the site is made. All this following the concepts of biophilic design, with lots of natural materials and nature presence that generates better user experiences and also sustainability concepts, valuing artisanal and local works and, whenever possible, using natural, recycled and recyclable materials.
Photos @Alessandro Guimarães
Lounge area with tables made of reclaimed wood from old boats and chairs from artisanal production.
The brand development started with the owner´s favorite food, Inhambu or Nambu, a root that is indigenous from her region, country side of Bahia, that we choose for naming the brand and it also names a native bird that has a special pattern in his wings and turquoise eggs, that influenced the brand pattern and colors.
For the color palette concept, we were inspired by the desert beige caatinga region colors but also the local culture and festivities that have so many vivid shades. The northeast Brazilian traditional technique for woodcut was referenced by creating new stamps with the help of the artist Edson Ikê that where then digitalized and used by Bloketo in several products.
In the local tradition there is a colored ribbon that is believed to give luck to the one that receives it, so we did a similar one with the brand symbols, that is given for the clients.
At the backyard, a special area for events was created. The customized graffiti panel made by the artist Andre Mogle, brings the São Paulo street art life to the interior, and the string lights creates a warm light for parties.
The chairs have a modern revision of traditional braided straw with custom paint in the brand colors.
For the main costumer area the layout has a mix between a communal table, small tables and lounge chairs. The intention was to create spaces for intimate meetings but also generate new connections between the clients at the communal table. A great result was a client that made new friends at the communal table and thanked the restaurant for that.
With a multidisciplinary team, branding integrated with graphic design and architecture, the project transformed Nambu into a brand with unique design and captivating ambience
