Cocktail Bar in Sperlonga by Gae Avitabile

In Sperlonga, a small coastal town between Rome and Naples, Gae Avitabile Design Studio have created a cocktail bar whose design mediates between interior and exterior space.

Interior space melds with the coastal panorama

Located on a cliff above the beach, the bar – which measures a mere 50 m² – offers an unobstructed view of the Mediterranean. In order to reinforce this spectacular link to the landscape, the architects have removed the pre-existing windows. The interior space becomes part of the promenade and melds with the coastal panorama.

The connection to the maritime setting also appears in the choice of materials and furnishings: for instance, the walls of the bar are veiled with a blue aluminum mesh that moves with the wind to create a characteristic sound. According to the architects from Gae Avitabile Design Studio, this sound is reminiscent of a breeze that comes from the coast. The floor consists of perforated bricks that have been filled with white lime and coated with resin. The bricks ground the space and contrast warmly with the fluid wall material, though they do assert themselves in the space.

Inspired by the sea

The counter has a similar function; its curved shapes and blue-to-white colour gradations echo the movement of waves. The effect was created with spray paint applied to bowed plywood that is 4 mm thick. The counter is framed with two white solid-surface worktop slabs. As a sculptural element, they form a counterpoint to the organic structure that rests between them and add a touch of tranquillity to the space. 

The walls of the bar are covered with a blue aluminum mesh. © Carlo Oriente

Above the counter, there is a white-coated metal grid where the bar glasses are hung. It can be interpreted as a fish basket; like the Falkland lamp designed by Bruno Munari that hangs down through the grid, it also refers to fishing. As a three-dimensional grid, it extends over the ceiling to the wall behind it, where it becomes an open liquor cabinet. It encompasses the bar area but has a light, airy feeling. 

A place of longing

The blue aluminum mesh conceals a WC whose walls are covered with green wallpaper. The printed floral motifs and exotic birds again play with associations that evoke the nearby sea and are meant to awaken the desire to experience faraway lands. Indeed, the small cocktail bar is a place of longing that takes up the sense of the genius loci and passes it on to its visitors.