Page 20 - Designing Ways 302

COMMERCIAL
INTERIOR

Caffè Nazionale

In a borderland, forms and materials of Alpine tradition are

reinterpreted in a contemporary key, creating a
space for gathering and social interaction.

affè Nazionale reopens in The Arches
Tarvisio, bringing back to life The first design move was to
Ca name deeply rooted in the incorporate the existing columns into a
town’s collective memory. A historic café wall articulated by a rhythmic series of
now returns, reinterpreted along the arches that, beginning at the entrance,
main street. Tarvisio lies within a border extend in length across the entire space.
landscape where Italy, Austria, and This architectural device filters the
Slovenia meet and overlap - a territory interior, distinguishing the bistro area
shaped by exchange, transit, and arrival. from the more intimate lounge. Regular
The town marks the northern end of the and measured, the arches establish a
Strada Statale Pontebbana, the historic permeable threshold, suggesting spatial
route connecting Mestre to Coccau, at the division without ever fully enclosing it.
Austrian border crossing.
In this setting, nestled between the The Wooden System
peaks of the Julian Alps and immersed At the rear, a fir wood backdrop recalls
in the Tarvisio Forest, the new Caffè the native tree species of the Tarvisio
Nazionale takes shape. region. Warm and tactile, it separates
the service areas from the public space.
The Space The wooden system is based on a 60 cm
The project occupies a large, vacant module. Vertical spruce elements clad
retail unit, fully glazed towards the street the walls and define open shelving for
and internally structured by a sequence of the display of wine bottles. Following
columns that divide the floor into two parts. the same rhythm, these elements extend
The interior design is inspired by the intention upward into the ceiling, where they
to create an elegant and contemporary become beams and panels, integrating
atmosphere that engages in dialogue with the the lighting system. This modular
surrounding Alpine landscape. continuity establishes a clear spatial

20 Issue 302 • dw