Teresa Sapey, Luisa Orlando and Santiago Alfonso explain current trends in restaurant design.

  • Respect for the environment, being at ease and the change in space making the cooking process visible are the two trends that currently mark the design of a restaurant. (Teresa Sapey)
  • More and more, the client is part of the restaurant’s story, integrating himself into the gastronomic experience. (Luisa Orlando)
  • You have to anticipate, work on trends and sociological currents to offer the market what it is going to demand. (Santiago Alfonso)

The architect Teresa Sapey, the businesswoman of the Allard Club, Luisa Orlando, and Santiago Alfonso, vice president of Marketing and Communication at Cosentino have debated the trends that set the standards in restaurant design and architecture. The session was moderated by Julia Pérez Lozano, gastronomic journalist and cofounder of Gastroactitud.

The space is taking an increasing role in the project of a restaurant

For Luisa Orlando it is key to integrate customer into the gastronomic experience. The client is increasingly part of the concept of space and kitchen. It is also important to be able to desing and adapt the space according to different requirements.

For Teresa Sapey, the choice of sustainable materials is key, at the same time that it tends to make the process more visible and that the customer participates and knows where the ingredients come from. On the other side, there is an increasing tendency to recognize the work of the architect and interior designer, to explain and value the conceptual and logical process followed in each project.

According to Santiago Alfonso, the colors and textures of the materials are an element of affirmation of the culture and personality of each country. For example, the preferred colors in the United States are very different from those in Europe and in Europe they vary considerably from a Mediterranean country to a Nordic one. As for the textures, in the United States the granite appearance is associated with luxury, while in Europe it tends more towards marble. In other places such as Germany or the Netherlands, gray and black are the two most popular colors.