Andy Martin Architecture (AMA) has completed the interior of Fucina, an Italian restaurant in London’s Marylebone district. Fucina restaurant features a unique, mind-blowing curvacious brick ceiling, entirely handmade and taking its inspiration from the interiors of traditional Italian pizza ovens.
The view of the street is obscured by a floor to ceiling steel framed screen with handmade coloured glass infill panels. The floors are hand laid marble chips set into a traditional ‘terrazzo cemento’ borders, reminiscent of Carlo Scarpa’s Olivetti building. Hand ‘decaped’ timber floor finishing flows centrally throughout the restaurant.
Along with brick, marble and timber, burnt steel is dominant and relates back to the name ‘Fucina’ meaning Forge. Traditionally, the forge in Italy not only related to what we know as a fire to heat metal, but also as the traditional kitchen fire for cooking. This has strong connections with artesian process of making.
The open fire pit kitchen in the lower ground floor looks through to the chef’s table, with its bubbling steel wall panels and rough brick flooring. The restaurant is made up of 110 dining covers seated on low backed bespoke banquettes and arm chairs on the ground floor, served by a solid carved marble finishing kitchen.
The space is sculpted to stimulate the senses with forms that are organic, and with honest and refined materials reflecting the menu. The furniture takes inspiration from the tree – its branches, its roots. The large tables grow from the floor and the chairs are fabricated from refined and machined branches. These elements that we are in contact with, connect us back with the source, our beginning, to enjoy the perfect dining experience.
all images © Nick Rochowski