Street Food Bistro

Street food is back in its full glory. At least in Budapest, where I live. The former Jewish district, where once it was not too safe to walk even in broad daylight, has been now transformed into a party quarter. It is thronged with people anytime you come here. Seeing the the new life of this part of the city is very exciting. I remember how empty it was earlier, and now, espacially in the summer, I can see the tourists with maps, looking for the lastest gastropub, English guys on their way to a bachelor party (it is always fun to see guys dressed in white lace dress, sporting a blonde wig). 

This phenomenon brought in the revival of sreet food bistros. Once hamburger meant cheap and low quality junk food - now it is a loved and sought after dish at pubs, made of high quality ingredients. 

Commercial and restaurant design also saw a new wave of style. Most of the new pubs and clubs have a worn, mixmatched, industrial vibe now. 

This vibe has inspired me to make this moodboard. The athmosphere I envisage is clearly insdustrial, the colours are mainly black and white with a bit of sun yellow. The interior is dominated by whitewashed (or black!) brick walls or coloumns, a huge wall decorated with letters (similar you can see on the placemat), and for fun the serving tubes could be in porcelain - indicating it is not some cheap food you can eat here. Just check the one in the left upper corner - it is porcelain, even though it is imitating the paper takeaway food containers. The serving stand for fries and ketchup is also a lovely item. For warmth I would suggest yellow shaded lamps, maybe (seat) cushions in sun yellow, and I added an arrow marquee light, too, they are so fun. 

The overall look is sophisticated, but not posh, simple, but with exciting details. 

Ice Cream Social Party

It is still not too late! The weather is mild enough, so let's organize an ice cream party! Just imagine an ice cream bar where you can make your own favourite ice cream, choosing toppings, dressings, fruits and cones. Of course all the ingredients are organic, and as healthy as possible. This is not for children, but who says adults can not love ice cream parties?

This time I went for a more mature look. The design is revolving around stars, stripes and checked materials, all in colours red, cream and blue, with black as perfect foundation hue. 

My favourite is the rug, the pattern of which can be often seen on ice cream cones. I am not sure where I would place it, but it goes so well with the overall design. 

Ice Cream Parlour

What could be better in the summer heat than an ice cream sundae? 

Enjoying it in a stylish setting, of course. 

Whenever I pick a new café or restaurant to try, I read the reviews and menu first, but it has to be a stellar review and a super exciting menu to go to the place if the interior does not live up to my expectations. I know that I am fussy, but the setting matters. Thankfully, most of the recently opened establishments boast with good design. Even ice cream parlours are beutifully created. 

The photo one the left is a place in Vienna (website: www.eis-greissler.at) I accidentally came accross on my last visit in the city. (I had known the photo beforehand, but had no idea it is located there.) I love the baby blue and white checked floor and the small details. 

I used this interior photo as a jumping-off point for my moodboard, but I went for a not-so-cool look. It means I added creamy colours, which also creates tension with the shiny stainless steel accessories (that Kitchen Aid mixer... so cool, in every colour). Instead of checked pattern I picked stripes, they are also timeless and elegant. 

I can imagine the male staff wearing those bow ties with white short-sleeve shirt and blue trousers. Probably not visible here, but the tie is decorated with ice cream cones! Similarly, female staff could wear hair band made of the same material. Actually, the girls working at Eis Grissler have blue and white checked hair bands! Good attention to the details. 

Italian Café

Last week when I wrote about a beachside café concept, I was requested to make a moodboard for an Italian café - so I hesitate no further, and here it is, an Italian inspired café mood board. 

It might be Italian-inspired, but I actually thought of New York when I created it - the Big Apple has an Italian quarter after all. I imagined a red-brick corner buliding, with huge glass windows letting the light in. With this moodboard I did not aim for a traditional look, so I made it more cosmopolitan and urban where the Italian vibe is slightly felt.
Whenever I think of Italian design, I see red. In a good way, of course. I would place a long, upholstered bench along the wall or the windows, with these red and white checked cushions on it - this pattern is so Italian, but now I decided against using it on a tablecloth. Red wooden chairs provide an exciting accent colour, but the rest of the colour scheme contains neutrals - black, white, grey with a bit of wood. I love the untraditonal black pendant by BoConcept - simple, but with a twist (notice the handle!).
The main theme of this moodboard is, however, chalkboard decor, that I feel goes very well with the Italian look. Chalkboards are widely used in cafés, and I am always amazed to see the variety of it. The funniest items here are the moustache-shaped chalkboards - they look also so Italian, yet they are very modern. Life is good.

I think I could do with a capuccino right now.

Beachside Café

I drew the inspiration for this mood board partly from this menu I found on the Internet, and partly from this wonderfully designed delicate inscription on the wall. I thought they complement each other, and in front of my eyes I could already see a small café on the sandy beach...

If the café is situated on the beach, I reckoned that blue sky and the sand itself provides a colourful backdrop for interior, so there is no need for further colours. I imagined huge glass windows, whitewashed porch, red and white striped umbrellas and white furniture. Maybe you can add some very light brown, or ash grey if you think white is too sterile, but with red accents the whole setting is very delightful. You could say it has a bit of retro touch, but I belive it is rather timeless. Somehow people tend to remember back their childhood with nostalgia, and it was my goal with this moodboard - to create an athmosphere that brings you back to old times, long gone summers, when you were a child, and spent the days on the beach making sand castles, playing with your siblings, learning to swim, and the highlight of the day was the ice cream time before your parents brought you back home...  

Concept Board - Italian Trattoria

I already mentioned how much I love dining out. I enjoy having a delcious meal in nice setting in good company, perfect way of combining food, friends and interiors. In my last post I promised to take you somewhere else, far from Scandinavia. I also mentioned pasta, so here we are, in a nice little trattoria straight from Italy. 

It does not matter if it is a casual or an elegant establishment, Italian restaurants seem to incorporate colour red and rustic dark wood into the interior. Here I did the same, but I chose a laid-back appcroach. The key style elements are mix-match furniture and dinnerware, flatware made of dark wood and steel, colourful tiles and fumed oak floor. My goal was to create an Italian country mood, that could be your inspiration for a new restaurant, but it is also easy to recreate this mood in your home.

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I hope you have a lovely Sunday afternoon. Next week I will be back with a post about another colour combination, and as it is summer, you can expect a summer themed post as well.