Thirty seats by candlelight.
The brief
Bistro Melo is a 30-seat restaurant in an old warehouse in Porto. The chef splits his time between Japan and Portugal; the interior had to read equally well under candlelight at dinner and bright daylight at lunch.
I designed a single long room with the open kitchen along one wall. A 10-meter bench in beeswaxed light wood anchors the dining zone, while the opposite wall divides service from social with arched breezeblocks remaining from the old grain storage.
Custom ceramic pendants in a crushed beige glaze hang low over each table. Cast their warm circle, switching each meal into a small theatre.