Opasły Tom Restaurant in Warsaw, Poland by BUCK.STUDIO

Translating to ‘Fat Volume’ in English, Opasły Tom is a contemporary Polish restaurant in Warsaw by local designers BUCK.STUDIO, who since 2017 have won multiple awards for hospitality interiors. The 260sqm split level layout comprises a series of connected rooms that vary in scale, so coordinating elements were crucial in achieving a unified aesthetic.

BUCK proposed a palette of nature-inspired shades as the common denominator across each room, with coral, teal, honey, and royal blue defining the restaurant. Velvet is prominent throughout, most notably used to upholster the corrugated steel-clad walls, a different shade used for each room. This not only creates a wavy texture that looks dramatic, but also means the walls double as effective acoustic panels. In contrast to the rich velvet, bespoke furniture and finishes are made of raw materials including poplar burl veneer and rusty red marble.

BUCK don’t shy away from pattern-clashing materials, making it work by sticking within the designated colour palette. Some rooms are paved with geometric terrazzo tiles, others have timber parquet floors, and vertical subway tiles clad the stairwell. A secret private dining room known as ‘the oasis’ swaps the velvet upholstery for an art deco-inspired floral fabric, a subtle reference to the building’s history as a cabaret restaurant prior to WWII.

Opasly Tom’s most identifying feature is the lights, a series of hand-blown glass suspension lamps with different sized pendants and sconces that match the scale and function of each room. Full height mirrors on the ground floor reflect views over Warsaw’s picturesque historical buildings, with a grand hall dining room meant for casual gatherings. More secluded, the upper level is reserved for formal occasions, while the lower deck is where most of the action happens. One room looks directly into the kitchen, while another is reserved for wine tasting.

See more projects by BUCK.STUDIO on Yellowtrace here.