Local espresso bar and restaurant by Karalasos Operaday Architects

Karalasos Operaday Architects provided an intelligent “bohemian-meets-luxurious” makeover and addition for Local Espresso bar and restaurant, in the historical center of Thessaloniki. Adjacent to the main bar, a split-level interior was enhanced by a measured hotchpotch of styles, combining well known classical and period-industrial elements, resulting to a surprisingly warm and welcome interior, in a highly urban environment. The addition attempts to touch a “nostalgic” nerve in the city’s bar-resto culture, exceedingly determined by the ongoing crisis. The interior of the main bar was later renovated in 2015 as a result of new terms of operation and maintenance, respecting thoughtfully the original arrangement. The need for inserting a stand-“type” bar in the facade, led to a composition of different types of translucency and tints, glasses, and flamed-leather pietra grey marbles, providing a 3-dimensional effect. The neutral and timeworn flooring was replaced by a “pre-existing” type, as if the original had been partially patched with exodus granite and nero assoluto granite. The golden-galvanized steel plate coated the – permanently exposed to damages – part of the main round column. Finally, the overall wooden parts were replaced by Greek walnut solid wood.