After the success of restaurant Praq, one of our favorite clients commissioned a new restaurant to be located in the Rotterdam harbor, right between the boats and the cranes.Fabbrica struck us as the most convenient name for this new Italian restaurant.
photography by © Daniel Nicolas
Fabbrica meaning factory in Italian, we envisioned the canteen of a very special factory: a very romantic factory where pleasure is produced for guests. Like in the canteen of a factory you will find long tables and benches at Fabbrica, but than colored in Italian ice-cream shop style colors: pink and pistachio green.
photography by © Daniel Nicolas
The oven is placed in a huge tank, covered with italian mosaic. A large wall composed of crane elements is used to store wood to fire the oven. Every detail combines industrial sturdiness with soft colors or decorative elements.We chose not to intervene with the authentic industrial character of this nineteenth century warehouse so we left all the structures in original state. The walls for example are left intact, in several places large glass panels were placed in front of them covered with Italian wallpaper patterns.
photography by © Daniel Nicolas
The result is that the patterns seem to float in front of the wall in a complex game of reflections. Lovers get to sit in a train structure that floats in the center of the space. The logo of Fabbrica is based on a font in which the point on the i resembles the beautiful shape of a hand made pizza, but one can also see a full moon, as it enlightens Fabbrica at night.
photography by © Daniel Nicolas
Project Info:
Architects: Tjep
Project Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Project Year: 2005
Photographs: Daniel Nicolas
Sophie Tremblay is a Montreal-based architectural editor and designer with a focus on sustainable urban development. A McGill University architecture graduate, she began her career in adaptive reuse, blending modern design with historical structures. As a Project Editor at Arch2O, she curates stories that connect traditional practice with forward-thinking design. Her writing highlights architecture's role in community engagement and social impact. Sophie has contributed to Canadian Architect and continues to collaborate with local studios on community-driven projects throughout Quebec, maintaining a hands-on approach that informs both her design sensibility and editorial perspective.