African project
First Base – South Africa
An interior element which can’t be missed is the striking arrangement of colourful
pentagonal tiles. The custom-made tiles, in muted shades of orange, green and blue along
with grey, white and brown, cascade along a feature wall and over the central part of the
flooring, making a powerful statement and adding a twist of fun and creativity to the
space. To counterbalance this strong visual feature, the rest of the flooring is made up of
simple timber vinyl. The pentagonal shape of the tiles also helped to inspire First Base’s
branding.
The woodfire pizza oven, painted in the muted-orange of the First Base signage and
juxtaposed against black mosaics, is the heart of the restaurant. To both break the rhythm
of the kitchen space slightly and to offer additional storage, multifunctional black and
timber shelving is used to display glasses and crockery.
On the whole, the interior of the restaurant perfectly reflects the unique nature of
the First Base concept. The Milnerton restaurant is the pilot – the first of a number of
branches for the company, each of which will sport the standout features that have been
brought to life here.
Besides First Base, Inhouse Brand Architects has been instrumental in a number of
beautifully conceptualised hospitality and retail interiors including 95 at Morgenster,
Wild Clover Breweries, Bocca and Anura Vineyard’s brand new event venue and Cooper’s
Bar. Inhouse has won a number of awards over the years and was recently selected as
the featured design firm for 100% Office, one of the main displays of 100% Design South
Africa 2016.
44 africandesignmagazine.com