African Design Magazine November 2016 | Page 44

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