Disco Volante by Lukas Galehr

And just as I thought I’d seen it all, along comes a giant Disco Ball Pizza Oven… I’m literally squealing with excitement at this little nugget of genius. Disco Volante is a Viennese pizzeria designed by an Austrian architect, Lukas Galehr, who is also part of the awesome design collective MadameMohr. This interior is a shining light of example of the power of a single design element – its ability to completely transform the space and take it to a whole new level cannot be underestimated.

The client brief called for an atmosphere of a typical southern Italian pizzeria, while capturing the spirit of the “Italo-Disco”era of the 1970s and 80s. Galehr’s stroke of genius was to turn the heart of the pizzeria, its wood fire oven, into a giant disco ball with a rotating mechanism. I know! Take THAT John Travolta. Your Saturday Night Fever moves ain’t got nothin’ on this baby.

The oven was both designed and produced by MadameMohr, who aim to not just design but also fabricate where possible. The outer shell of the oven was made from heat resistant concrete, and produced utilising CNC-milling technology, with a rotating mechanism hidden underneath the baking surface. The shell is covered with approximately 7500 special cut mirror tiles which were glued on site.

The existing ceiling in this former grocery store revealed an extra meter of height once it was removed. This additional space contributes to the canteen-like feeling known from the overcrowded places in Naples drowned in neon light. Adding to this harsh and rather uncomfortable environment are the former church benches and timber chairs, typically found in Vienna’s city departments. The tables are only large enough to leave space for a pizza and a beverage each. While this decision might sound unusual, the architect maintains this approach was one of the key elements to the success of Disco Volante.

The waiters and waitresses are dressed in specially designed overalls by fashion designer Milena Heussler & Luciano Raimondi, reminiscent of mechanics outfits.

At night, the main lights are dimmed with spotlights directed onto the oven to get the party started. I mean, who doesn’t love a little bit of Euro Pizza Rave action? Precisely! Here’s that the oven looks like in action.