Hibou Bar&Restaurant – Thessaloniki
About This Project
STAGE: CREATION OF A SUMMER ALL DAY BAR AND RESTAURANT
The first time we visited the site it was as if we traveled back in time and were transported to another era. But we saw that the possibilities of transformation that this particular place had were multi-layered. Thus the idea of Hibou was born! An all-day coffee, drink, and food restaurant whose objective would be to relax the visitors in the forest but at the same time give them an amazing unobstructed panoramic view of the whole city of Thessaloniki and the Thermaikos Gulf. But immediately after the conception of the idea came a great challenge for our office, because the forecourt of the premise housed the preserved fountain of the Muslim era as well as the ruins of the burial place of the Sheikh who lived there around the 14th century. After excavations, his grave was found right in the center of the property’s forecourt. So now we had to not just design a restaurant, but primarily to respect and highlight the monument properly.
We then had to get approval from the relevant municipality department for our overall design to highlight the monument without affecting its character but at the same time protecting it. So all our planning was driven by the morphology of the area and the ancient discoveries. The dominant material is pressed cement mortar in an earthy color, where its combination with the stone and the forest all around gently caresses our gaze and makes it seem part of the natural landscape. Most of our constructions are of handmade ironwork and marble. The colors of the fabrics were chosen in earth tones to blend harmoniously with the natural materials of the landscape. The protagonists of the design are the hidden lights that emphasize the special features of the space.
High majestic arches were designed at the entrance, but they are delicate hand-made iron structures that give the imposingness that such a special place needs. In addition to the earthy brown-beige shades that were used, emphasis was placed on some table seats with an intense green color which, however, is like a continuation of the forest and the foliage which in any case is dominant in the space.