Cosetta

Cosetta is a hotly anticipated restaurant founded by Chef Zack Pollack, which brings a much-needed dining option to a corporate business park in Santa Monica. The space was transformed into one that aligns with the needs and character of the community by inviting an exchange between the tranquility of nature and the architecture of the interior. To achieve this, the design interprets the aspirational lifestyle of the Italian kitchen garden through the lens of a forward-looking, modern aesthetic, where the transition between indoors and out is softened, and materiality and forms are approachable yet elevated.

Upon entry, one is met with a modern take on the classic Italian motif of repeating arches and colonnades. Taking advantage of the increased ceiling height over the bar area, the arches create a dramatic spatial moment with an end-view perspective in which the arches seem to repeat infinitely in back-painted glass. At the back bar, the columns of the arches rise up the wall, then vault over to delicately drop partially over the counter.

The design team did as little as possible to the existing structure, leaving the envelope
largely intact, yet adding skylights to bring natural light and adding an exterior shade
structure.