When it comes to Italian dining at San Carlo, the personality and the grandeur of the brand and the dining experience lies in the detailed dishes and in the service provided by the team. As such, the restaurant interior design brief was focussed on the delivery of an authentic and welcoming space which facilitated the excellent service and provided a backdrop for the varied and flavoursome dishes to really shine.
We started by creating a layout and floor plan which enabled the creation of private dining spaces within an otherwise very open plan venue – using lots of mirrored walls and the natural wood surfaces to present a modern but authentic space which felt naturally very light and bright. With tall ceilings throughout the restaurant space, simple ceiling spotlights were fitted to ensure a consistent flow of light across the restaurant floor, with very clean white tablecloths and a deep terracotta orange fabric seat cover added to the chairs to tap into that Italian vista vibe.
As is so often the case in an Italian restaurant, both wine and ingredients were used to generate more in the way of authentic Italian décor and design, with one wall in particular completely transformed from a blank white canvas into a vast library of wine bottles with the addition of rows of wine holders and hooks.
The client also wanted a private dining space which could host conferences and work events, so we added a television screen mounted onto the wall in one of the private dining spaces, affording privacy and quiet to the space while retaining the very authentic vibe outside of the private room.
An example of how less really can be more when it comes to restaurant design, San Carlo in Manchester is built on excellent service and exquisite food – every time.
