Visual Merchandising and Store Design | VMSD.com

VM+SD 2006 Retail Renovation Competition Winner

By Matthew Hall

Sansepolcro, Italy
First place Restaurant/Specialty Food Shop

While many buildings in Italy boast pedigrees dating back several centuries, the one housing the 0575 Restaurant in Sansepolcro is of a relatively recent vintage. Built in the 1940s as a tobacco warehouse, the barrel-vaulted structure has also housed an outlet clothing store. But now, it is home to an elegant eatery that took top honors in this year's VM+SD Retail Renovation Competition. Judges were impressed with the restaurant's visual feast of lighting and sumptuous materials.

Overseeing the building's makeover were the local firms of Bartolini/Lanzi Architects and Silvia Falsetti Architect, whose design plans included replastering its exterior and installing several doors and windows to bring added lighting and visibility into the space. "Adjacent to the building is a 15th Century fortress," notes Alessandro Bartolini, who served as co-lead architect on the project with Silvia Falsetti. "The presence of that historical building means there are some specific design guidelines for the exteriors of nearby buildings that we had to follow."

In addition to letting passersby see inside, one of the large windows added on the ground floor gives restaurant patrons a striking view of the fortress. Other design features within the space include a glass-enclosed, 16th Century Chinese statue near the entrance; a self-bearing steel structure clad in green block that holds the kitchen, restrooms and storage area on the first floor and a central heating room on the second; and a dining area featuring dark wood flooring and tables with contrasting orange and white seating.

The Frommer's travel guide on Italy describes Sansepolcro as "off the tourist path." The allure of the 0575 Restaurant just might change the path.

Client: Inghirami Co., Sansepolcro, Italy

Design and Architecture: Bartolini/Lanzi Architects, Sansepolcro, Italy
Alessandro Bartolini, architect
Silvia Falsetti Architect, Sansepolcro, Italy
Silvia Faalsetti, architect

Outside Consultants: Federico Romolini, Sansepolcro (architect)
Biagioli Moretti Ingegneri Associati, Arezzo, Italy (mechanical engineering)
Remo Veneziani, Sansepolcro, Italy (structural engineering)
Zumtobel Lighting Inc., Dornbirn, Austria (lighting)

General Contractor: Impresa Edile Pecorelli, Sansepolcro, Italy

Air Conditioning: Piros, Sansepolcro, Italy

Audio/Video: Elcov, Sansepolcro, Italy

Electrical/Lighting System: Sirme, Sansepolcro, Italy

Flooring: Copart, San Secondo, Italy

Furniture: La Tiberina Arredamenti, Sansepolcro, Italy

Glasses/Mirrors: Vetrerira Nuova Tiberina, Citta di Castello, Italy

Glazing/Metal Framing: Corsini, Citerna, Italy

Graphics: Selecta, Città di Castello, Italy

Paintings: Boncompagni Mirko, Sansepolcro, Italy

Photography: Alessandro Bartolini, Sansepolcro, Italy