This project was created following my study-abroad experience in Italy. I was inspired to design a restaurant in Milwaukee that captures the experience of outdoor dining in Florence while still taking into account Wisconsin’s climate. The concept is a restaurant that can be open to the outdoors when weather permits and closed off from the elements during the cold months and rainy days. The restaurant is composed of a solid brick structure connecting to a glass facade built around a courtyard garden. The facade includes sliding glass panels, providing open air during the warmer months, but still allowing ample outdoor view when closed during the long winter.  

Aesthetically, this project combines both traditional and modern elements of design. Brick, wood, black metallics, and glass work together to create a space that connects to the traditional Italian restaurant style while still feeling modern and classy. Wine walls, dramatic lighting, and interior greenery contribute to the Italian aesthetic within the space while modern fixtures and sleek furniture materials give the restaurant elements of modernity fit for the city environment.