This week You! takes a look at the quaint interior of a newly opened restaurant in Lahore ...
interior
This week You! takes a look at the quaint interior of a newly opened restaurant in Lahore ...
Travelling to Italy, visiting picturesque places and enjoying the perfect crust of pizza and the unforgettable pastas and raviolis, is an experience in itself. Italy is a dream that keeps coming back for more reasons than one; be it food, the natural landscapes, beautiful lakes, the heavy influence of art and historic architecture etc. Luckily, a restaurant ‘Tuscany Courtyard’ in Lahore is a reflection of Italy, enabling people - who haven’t been there - to enjoy a fraction of the beautiful experience of visiting the country.
The restaurant is popular for its thin crust pizzas, pastas, delicious brownie skillet and the heavenly bread and butter pudding. However, food isn’t the only reason why this place has been making rounds ever since it opened its doors in Islamabad back in 2012. The restaurant takes you into another world altogether making you forget you are in Pakistan. As the name suggests, the eatery is heavily inspired by Italy and is a reflection of the exotic Tuscan region. The new branch in Lahore has given a novel definition to striking interiors and artistic restaurants. In this regard, You! spoke to Ali Umar Alvi, the ace architect and interior designer who worked on the restaurant to make it an exquisite place that it is today.
“It all started when Khurram Khan, the owner, came to me back in 2011-12 to design an Italian restaurant, in a house in F7 Islamabad - the original Tuscany Courtyard. We brainstormed about the concept and design of the project. We decided to develop the whole design and theme around the existing lawn of the house which would be transformed into courtyard with a fountain and terracotta floor with bougainvillea vines and a fireplace in a corner,” recalls Ali.
“On an architectural pilgrimage in Italy, while passing through Tuscany on my way to Venice, I came across Tuscan landscape and small villages dotted with old rustic buildings, piazzas and courtyards. The buildings and structures had elegant colours and I instantly fell in love with them. I wanted to recreate the terracotta and yellow buildings with their slender windows and balconies with louvered windows and that is precisely what I have done,” he adds.
One of the most striking features of the restaurant is its yellow exterior, which has been inspired by a certain mango-yellow outer of buildings in Tuscany that eventually fades into a dull yellow. Ali believes that it works very well with our climate and the intensity of sunlight in our country. Seeing it in Italy and Spain, Ali was sure that it will work in our part of the world too.
The sunshine exteriors along with rustic stone touches, roof tiles and floor patterns against brightly coloured facades having hand cut stones, wall murals and frescos make the space oh so picturesque.
On the outside, the attractive plantations, fountains and the fire places give the most perfect courtyard feel making one forget whether they are in Lahore or actually a quaint corner in Italy. The use of white window panes on the yellow brick walls, the brick arches and cane chairs make the space even more artistic. On the other hand, the chandeliers, lighting installations, flooring, arches and even the furniture give off a very Italian feel.
According to Ali, the sheer volume of space for the Lahore project was itself a challenge and an inspiration. “The space was meant for a vaulted ceiling. The transition from the really low entrance roof into a high vaulted ceiling was the desired surprise effect. The ceiling translated into arch opening and brick arches on the walls. The wall mural has been the design element and identity of this eatery since the first project, and we had to incorporate it into the Lahore project as well,” he shares.
Moreover, the artworks displayed on the arches are quite remarkable. “The selection of the artwork of various Tuscan landscapes has been done very carefully. Our artist from Islamabad, Mahwish who also worked on the restaurant in Islamabad helped us in this process. The artefacts and tapestries, that have been collected from all over the world, are an integral part of the interior and its overall feel,” states Ali.
Ali believes the goal was to create an interior with rich and authentic details that transports the customers to a space full of sensational art, music and of course food. And that is precisely what this restaurant in Lahore does.
