Restaurant Peppino

A few dozen meters from the Freedom Square in Pacov, at a main yet still peaceful intersection, stands a more than one-hundred-year-old corner building that dominates the place. A local family bought it at the turn of the millennium and it underwent reconstruction from 2000 to 2006. On the ground floor, there is a large social hall, and on the first floor and in the attic, a hotel. The partially sunken basement spaces were adapted. The basement area was more than doubled by underpinning the unbasemented part of the building. A pizzeria was created there. When an unprecedented cloudburst hit the Pacov area in 2013, it led to its flooding. The water almost completely destroyed not only the interior and supplies but also the catering operation.

Based on previous cooperation, the owners contacted us to take on the "resuscitation".
The extent of the damage allowed us to start literally from scratch. We are trying to leverage our operational experience in slight modifications of the layout. By moving the door opening between the corridor and the restaurant, the original entrance to the dining room through the kitchen has been removed. Shortening the corridor by adding a partition creates a private non-through box (not just) for romantic couples. The new layout scheme becomes a left-turning spiral of three increasingly smaller spaces, each having its own distinct character (while maintaining a unified expression throughout the restaurant).

In the new design, we strive to make the most of the aesthetic strength of the ubiquitous stone. It cannot be achieved without a radical cleaning. We are removing various "layers" of props, shelves, tablecloths, and decorations from the interior. We replace the massive reveal framing of entrance openings with subtle metal sheets. The rawness of natural materials - the uncovered beauty of stone and wood - is accentuated by a delicate play of light and colors created by the aeraria with plants hung above each table, a garden on a thread; as well as an aquarium built into the bar counter. The glass droplets can also be understood as a reminder of the water element that devastated the restaurant. The natural minimal aesthetic gives the space a calm and meditative character.

The newly built outdoor garden is entirely hidden below the ground level and functionally and in height connects to the main dining area. Its interior expands the possibilities of the pizzeria with pleasant outdoor seating while simultaneously protecting the interior from another unexpected flood wave.