PROJECT TITLE: IT COFFEE
CATEGORY: interior design
LOCATION: Palaiologou 31, Athens, Greece
AREA: 43 m2
PROJECT STATUS: completed, October 2022
LEAD DESIGNER: Miltos Kontogiannis
PROJECT MANAGER: Serafeim Pappas
DESIGN TEAM: Margarita Voyatzi
PHOTOGRAPHY: Alina Lefa
TEXT: Zoi Parasidi
It is one of the first restaurants of its kind in Athens, since IT set out to redefine the concept of fast food and offer it nutritious and healthy, with handmade preparations and the freshest ingredients since 2004. The company started from a small shop in the city centre and opened its first comfort restaurant – a milestone in its successful career – in 2013 in Kolonaki. Ten years later, it takes another important step by adding another store to its family, this time in the northern suburbs of the city.
At the sound of the word “IT”, its regulars and fans, those who have tasted its popular salads and bowls, think “green”. Thus, this particular colour is prominent in the interior design of the exterior of the new store in Halandri, which promotes the zero waste philosophy, recycling many different materials, taking care of the circular management of its waste in order to zero its environmental footprint.
As its name suggests, IT Coffee & Food focuses on coffee and quality food that can be easily taken “on the go”. Since it emphasizes the takeaway function, the idea behind its design was the feeling of a garden open to all, offering a short break from the fast pace of the surrounding urban landscape and everyday life. It is a space that provokes contrast within the city, just as contrasts are created between the materials that predominate in its appearance, the white tile that is a trademark of many modern and up-to-date cafés in the world’s metropolises, the natural building material of brick that evokes rural buildings.
At the same time, and as the purpose of the shop was to be able to accommodate visitors for a while, a series of yellow seats reminiscent of old waiting areas, like those of suburban bus stations, are there to serve those waiting for their order to be prepared and to create a fun colour play.
