BANCOVINO WINEBAR

An intimate, convivial, flexible space revolving around a long counter made of steel and glass

Built in a small 60 sq m space in Prati, a 19th-century neighbourhood in the heart of Rome, Bancovino is at once a gourmet grocery store, a wine bar, a restaurant and a food and wine tasting venue. Bancovino expresses the triple requirement of modern food service and restaurant industry: quickness, conviviality and flexibility. Our project creates coherence between those three seemingly contradictory and incompatible aspects. The space revolves around a long counter made of steel and glass that defines the food preparation and tasting area. Fresh products are stored and exposed in the counter, and the chef welcomes the clients by sharing with them this culinary experience. The main room is covered in raw steel and wood: raw steel for the shelving, presenting food and wine with the same order and method one should find in a bookshop, and wood for the rotating mobile panels. They adapt to Bancovino daily requirements, and easily transform into restaurant tables or tasting buffet, even disappearing to welcome larger crowds when needed.