YOD Group presents Lumo, a bright and democratic bistro on one of Dnipro's central streets in Ukraine.

The project was inspired by modern Italy, or rather a mix of its various cultural facets. Mosaic tiles, check patterns, and textured veneers refer to the Memphis group that revolutionized Italian design in the 1980s. The project uses Alpi veneer, whose original design was created by the founder of Memphis Ettore Sottsass.

The restaurant's focal point is a rounded bar, above which a massive lamp cap rises. It resembles ample meringue on the cake and works as a visual magnet of the interior. Through panoramic windows, the illuminated bar can be seen from the street and square opposite the restaurant, attracting new visitors.

A typical Italian feature is the molded cast-iron table legs. You can find them in almost every other typical Italian coffee shop. Traditionally, they use black-fired cast iron, but the table legs at Lumo have a cold glow of polished cast iron. Another original accent is a leather canvas with raw edges. It was stretched and fixed to the round tabletops in a way that is used in the course of material preparation in Italian leather workshops.

The materials palette of Lumo includes mosaic tiles, metal, wood, and leather. The achromatic palette of the interior is broken by shades of wood, an orange strip on the floor that zones the space, and a bright red sink in the bathroom.

Rounded shapes emphasize the hospitable mood of the place, such as the shades of pendant lamps, the line of the bar counter, and a massive arch portal separating the main hall from the wardrobe and bathrooms.

"We aimed to create a high-quality and restrained design for a wide audience - a bright, friendly, open format that works right here and now," says Dmitry Bonesko, YOD Group art director. "It took eight months from the idea to the restaurant launch."

The interior was recognized with the Best of Best award from Architecture Masterprize 2024 

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