Bindella Restaurant

Pleat Box pendant lamps by Xavier Mañosa & Mashallah at Restaurant Bindella in Tel Aviv, Israel

Interior design: Pitsou Quedem Architect & Baranowitz-Amit

Describing Bindella Osteria & Bar in Tel Aviv without talking about its deep set roots is impossible. These roots are planted in Switzerland and are the firm foundation of a distinguished family of restaurateurs whose passion for wine and Italian cooking started over a hundred years ago in Zurich and in Tuscany.

The family’s business motto is “Terra Vite Vita” (Land, Vineyards, Life) and is all about paying respect to the land and the authenticity of the Italian experience. The design brief was to create a space that pays homage to the family's tradition while creating a new sophisticated wining & dining experience with an international relevance.

We wanted the space to promote the sense of joy of people coming together to celebrate their love for food & wine yet allowing for intimacy and a true sense of place.

Turning to Tuscany's vineyards for inspiration, we transformed the space into an architectural vine-arbor. Oak up-rights grow from the floor to become a library for the family's vineyard wine, then climb up the ceiling to become long beams varying in height as they spread through the space. The under-side of these beams is painted in different shades of green, an architectural homage to the vines' foliage. Recessed lighting in the ceiling permeates in between the beams, simulating the sun’s rays as they break through the branches of the vine.

A perforated metal screen along the window wall completes the abstraction of the vine-arbor introducing a play of lights and shadows to the space.

The interior of the restaurant-- long, narrow and filled with columns, presented a challenge for the creation of the different hospitality experiences that we sought to provide. Our aim was to preserve and emphasize the space’s impressive length. We created three different seating alignments – the dynamic line of the drinks bar and the crudo bar that provide a solution also for the late- night guests. A long bench with its back to the bar consisting of tables that can be placed together or separated as needed and the third line, seatings for two alongside the patio windows.

When looking in from the street, the three lines of seating arrangements continue onwards into the restaurant’s interior, drawing in the eyes of the viewer – like rows of green vines stretching along the Tuscan landscape.

The restaurant’s materials are all natural – concrete, steel and wood. The grey concrete floor has been polished so that its aggregate is visible, simulating a classic Italian terrazzo floor. The restaurants tables are of blackened, natural oak and the bar in black iron and basalt.