BATONI
project: Batoni
location: Dubai
area: 330 m²
year: 2024
photo: Ivan Avdeenko
team: Volodymyr Nepyivoda, Dmytro Bonesko, Anna Danilova, Zavseholov Andrii
Batoni is a Georgian cuisine restaurant in Dubai. The venue is located on the ground floor of a new building on the coast of Khor Dubai. The Batoni's interior expresses openness, sincerity, and closeness to nature which are national features of Georgian culture.
The main metaphor for sincerity in the space is the open kitchen. The guest sees the main cooking processes right from the doorstep. Traditional Georgian tandoors, in which dishes and bread are baked, are placed in line with the kitchen facade and decorated with ceramic tiles to create a continuous composition.
Terracotta is the main material and shade in the interior. It covers most surfaces and creates a warm textured background. The terracotta ceramic tiles on the floor are laid traditionally, and clinker pins hold each tile on the walls and columns. They emphasize the thickness of the ceramic plate, its textured edge, and the aesthetics of the joints. This gives the surface a three-dimensional effect and creates an interesting light and shadow effect.
ACCENT ELEMENTS
The restaurant's space has an elongated shape, where the main hall smoothly flows into two smaller side halls, which can be separated by textile curtains if necessary. A large chandelier resembling traditional Georgian sheepskin hats hangs above a large table in one of the side halls. In the second hall, at the opposite end of the space, the lighting under the ceiling is made up of balls placed in a translucent illuminated membrane. Guests easily recognize this shape as a traditional sweet - churchkhela. The ceiling of the main space of the restaurant is covered with a textile mesh installation that reproduces the mountainous landscape of Georgia as depicted on topographic maps.
ACCENT ELEMENTS
- We are not supporters of excessive decorativeness when traditional symbols are replicated and used in the interior directly to show a connection with a certain cultural identity. On the other hand, we are interested in exploring traditions, passing them through our creative vision, and comprehending them in a modern way. - shares Dmytro Bonesko, art director of YOD Group. The interior of Batoni has several allusions to traditional Georgian artifacts. They are most evident in the lighting elements.
A unique custom solution is ceramic tables created specifically for the project. The tables' exceptional feature is their scale. Casting and firing ceramic elements of this size in a kiln is a technologically challenging task. The solution’s value lies in the emotional experience that the restaurant's guests receive from interacting with the exquisite natural material. When visitors' hands and tableware touch the surface, they experience tactile and acoustic sensations that are imprinted in their memory and form the unique atmosphere of Batoni.
TEAM
