Myrto Restaurant in Porto Cervo by Studio Wok.

Studio Wok has designed an avant-garde pizza restaurant in the famed Sardinian cultural district Promenade du Port. A tribute to the essence of Costa Smeralda, the design echoes the serpentine rock formations and emerald water that epitomises this glimmering coast.

“When we think of this part of Sardinia, we think of granite rocks shaped by the wind. The curving materiality of the granite is warmed by the sunlight and by the reflections of the crystal-clear sea and interacts with the lush greens of the Mediterranean scrub,” mused the designers.

The power of the wind erodes and carves out the granite formations, turning them into architectural structures that can be lived in. The restyling project for the Myrto restaurant was an opportunity for Studio Wok to pay tribute to this area and to tell its story. In this sense, architecture became a tool for narration and dissemination.

“Architecture is lived in while art is looked at; this is a fundamental difference. Architecture is a physical and sensory experience because you go inside it.” Echoing these words by Ettore Sottsass, Studio Wok’s placemaking design is more than a beautiful space, capturing the spirit and feeling of the surrounding area.

The interior takes on the features of a cave with sinuous shapes and Sardinian earth tones that render the atmosphere homely and intimate and bring to mind an ancient idea of the Mediterranean. Transforming the outdoor patio into an insular space, the studio created a feeling of being in an underwater cave with a lightweight roof that reacts to the wind and sunlight and provides a glimpse of the sky.

In these abstract, curving spaces, coloured furnishings and volumes play in contrast, creating a palette of greens that echoes the hues of the landscape. The materials, colours and furniture were chosen and designed specifically for this project, resulting in a site-specific concept.

Myrto has been a presence for 9 years at the Promenade du Port, a hub of art, culture and design in the beautiful setting of Porto Cervo, bringing an innovative approach and experiences that are both surprising and intimately connected to the sense of the local area. At the same time, Myrto’s approach is equally innovative with a concept in which gourmet pizza and haute cuisine interact in a synergistic, intriguing, and unique way.

Related: A Country Home in Chievo, Verona by Studio Wok.

[Images courtesy of Studio Wok. Photography by Simone Bossi.]