Sharing architectural inspiration across different continents adds profound diversity and mysticism to a place. Infusing ideas of trans-continental designs has a charm of its own where it gives the patrons a chance to experience different places right at home in their neighbourhood. While the pleasure of dining or living in an architectural space in Italy is a quaint experience in itself, the chance to experience the canals have been brought to Australia’s Sydney. Leading Italian architect Luigi Rosselli coupled up with Stefano Manfredi, a chef to bring to Sydney Osteria BALLA.
The Men Behind the Experience
It was a good thing that Architect Luigi and Chef Stefano have the same origins of hailing from Milan. Thanks to their shared roots, their pairing together to bring the gorgeous BALLA is indeed a full experience. The restaurant is not an overall view of the Italian landscape but more specifically the Navigli Canals of Milan. The Milanese futuristic designer Giacomo Balla is the inspiration behind the designs and décor used in the BALLA. He was the one who signed a Manifesto of the Futuristic Movement in Milan. The machines that built the city of Milan have left, but the architecture of the canals have sustained over a century.
The Design of the BALLA
The unique design of the BALLA aims to showcase the canals and the beauty of the architecture behind it. It has a bar and a kutcha that is raised from the floor level. The areas are framed within concrete trusses too. This seems very similar to the bridges that run across the canals in Milan. Steel that has weldings that are raw along with fixtures from the past make up the rugged design of the BALLA similar to the entire construction of the canals and its bridges. Even the wine storage area is designed to resemble the pigeon holes that were made on a rack during the 1900s. The front of the restaurant has an area fondly called ‘The Avenue’. The avenue is unique in its own right because of the columns it has, making it a perfect place to gaze upon while dining or to revel in when transpiring into the restaurant.
The columns of The Avenue are a crucial part of the architectural tie in of the inside of the BALLA to the harbourside of Sydney. They almost act as trees that hold and display a mosaic tile with Lingotto lights and Industrial settings. The entire design of the ceilings’ panels is made to depict the beautiful leaves and skies of Milano. There is a little personal touch added to the design of the restaurant. Personal memories of the architect have been used to create a futuristic setting. Similar to the ceilings of Salla Della Castle, the overhead cast of the BALLA depicts the same. When paired with the landscape of Sydney’s harbourside, the effect is dramatic, industrious, futuristic and breathtaking. It transports the patrons to a time an era when the future of the world collides with the architectural beauty of today’s scape.
