MEROMA RESTAURANT

Architects
Oficina de Práctica Arquitectónica
Location
Roma, 06760 Mexico City, CDMX, Mexico
Architects in Charge
Rosalía Yuste, Diego Mañón
Design Team
Berenice Solis y David Ignorosa
Area
160.0 m2
Project Year
2017
Photographs
Luis Young
Manufacturers
LafargeHolcim, Saint Gobain, USG, 
West Elm
Located in the heart of Colonia Roma
Norte, the restaurant is immersed in
one of the most popular neighborhoods
in Mexico City. The venue is a peculiar
1980’s house that stands out by its
referential oval-window grid façade and
a pair of sky-high old trees that allow
just a glimpse of the building from the
street. Meroma is a 160 sqm space
divided into two stories and three main
spaces, each one very different from
the other, creating distinct atmospheres
within the same place. The radical
intervention to the old house was in
charge of OPA, the architecture office
led by Rosalía Yuste and Diego
Mañón, who worked on a design
proposal guided by the needs and
concept lines that the chefs had in
mind for their upcoming restaurant. 
The ground floor is a single space that
merges with the sidewalk, and it hosts the
most dramatic element of the place: a huge
monolithic concrete terrazzo bar. This
space aims to invite every passerby by
having no limits to the street. It also
provides the restaurant with a transitional
space for the guests to enter the dining
hall. The seating space of the bar is formed
by a wooden panel from where seats
emerge, inviting guests to have a drink
while waiting for a table or to sit and enjoy
one of the signature cocktails offered by
the barista. The three materials used for
this space create a balanced contrast. On
the main floor is the dining hall which was
designed in a dynamic setup in order to
accommodate 35people. 
The constructive materials selection for the entire project such as terrazzo, and
pre-casted concrete, and wood for the architectural elements and furniture,
where selected from a close conceptual process undertaken with the chefs and
their ideas on the food and ambiance they looked for in their design. The aim was
to create a single harmonic pallet of materials and colors that would bring each
space an atmosphere of its own and would give a unique character to the
restaurant while limiting the use of decorative pieces.
The chairs were designed particularly for the restaurant, are fabricated from
white oak wood, and light grey fabric for the cushions. The round back of the
chairs was designed to preserve the natural circulation of the restaurant
allowing the dining hall to comfortably serve the maximum capacity of guests.
The exterior table tops are made from the green glass where the vegetation
reflects. Additional materials such as volcanic stone on the walls and reused
wood on the floor create a distinctive setting from the interior spaces.
Each space has furniture designed
according to the different environments,
which was overseen by the design
studio Comité de Proyectos. The
materials and color pallet were
designed especially for the architectural
elements as well as for the designated
furniture. The selected colors are pink,
green and bone colored terrazzo; the
booths were made out of a mint colored
cloth with a reused wooden structure.
The main hall tables have a
huanacaxtle top cover that enhances
the natural shapes of the wood to
create geometric shapes when
gathered together.
This compact space holds a minimum of
constructive elements and lighting details.
Here, the main character is the natural light
from the high dome which is covered with
the foliage of the trees outside. The result
is a glass ceiling draped in fallen leaves.
The furniture is arranged thoughtfully and
efficiently to create a flowing circulation for
the guests and the waiters. Beyond the
dining hall, the terrace is the only open-air
space of the restaurant, it allows up to 16
fortunate guests to sit in an exterior space
surrounded by green leaves hanging from
the treetops alongside the dining tables.
The terrace is a flexible space that can be
adapted according to the weather and uses
required by the hosts. 
THANK YOU