Omega Ouzeri is a brand new restaurant in Seattle designed by A Future Perfect in collaboration with the Seattle-based Strata Architects studio. Architects and designers Katerina Grigoropoulou and Evi Sougkara, the founders of A Future Perfect concept brand, undertook the fun yet challenging task to work from Athens on incorporating the Greek element and feeling into the restaurant’s space.
Owners Thomas and Rebecca Soukakos, imagined a contemporary Greek restaurant, that would bring something fresh, different, fun and Greek into the busy Seattle scene. Working on the original floorplan and having to deal with regulations, space and budget limitation led to some declinations from the original design, but, the adjustments in situ by Strata managed to keep the general concept together.
The artwork Days, taking over the 25 square meters south wall, is the main point of focus when entering the space. Displaying a series of Greek urban and island scenes all wrapped up in a sketchy composition, the artwork was designed by the AFP team in Athens and it was transferred on to the wall by a local artist through a real size projection of the drawing. On the opposite side of the restaurant, ascending the staircase towards the mezzanine, visitors come across a translated compilation of Kavafis’ Ithaka poem, expressing the owner’s nostalgia in the form of a type message.
Other elements of the space such as the tampered Greek key wooden wine case, were custom made in Seattle, and other decorative pieces like the Donkey head by Wedesign were shipped there straight from Greece, adding up to a contemporary and vibrant space with clean, white and blue hues, light colored wood and marble.
The white and blue pattern tile bar front sits in harmony with the marble bar-top and neighbor tables, holding memories of the marble tables down at Piraeus tavernas’ and cafes’ the owner used to visit as a young man. Slightly recessed wall parts, found on different areas and furnishing of the space, give a certain visual and physical texture, partly inspired by the quite deeper recesses and the general Cycladic cubism.
The furniture, chairs, tables and banquettes – either custom-made or not – are a blend of rustic/traditional and contemporary minimal pieces in vivid blue and white tones.
The space remains to be further enriched with Greek designed and inspired elements and objects in order to enhance the visitors’ experience and keep the connection to Greece as the owners aspire.
