PROCESS
In order to achieve this project, a complete architectural renovation of an old house was carried out. The house used to belong to one of the partner´s grandparents and was strategically located in the emerging hip neighborhood of Escalante in San José, Costa Rica. The purpose was to transform it into a unique, contemporary restaurant. It was necessary to change all the floors, to throw down some walls, to extend the halls and to make an extension of the building creating two new terraces.

A demolition was carried out, in order to bring to the surface the original brick structure of the walls. The house has a history and the original building materials are left exposed in order for the visitor to experience this historical feeling. New electromechanical installations were created for the equipment and lighting of the transformed space. The interior architecture and interior design firm Esny Martin, provided the conceptualization of the restaurant: The complete look and feel from the architecture to the graphic design of the menu.

This was accomplished by working holistically, that is to say, by directing a group of talented professionals specialized in different creative fields, such as: graphic design with Pupila Studio and architecture with Apame Design. The interdisciplinary team worked towards the same creative north to achieve a project in which everything had unity and the concept of brand was present in every detail. The bar, the lamps and the tables were custom made for each space.

RESULT
The incredible atmosphere provided by the new design and new concepts, transformed an outdated, obscure and uncomfortable building into one of the most profitable businesses in the area and certainly one of the preferred by the public. Impar restaurant is now recognized as a design icon of the neighborhood. The space was described by a publication by Hotel Presidente as “An aesthetically beautiful place with a mixture of patterns, wood and the modern and elegant style of Esny Martin”. Because of this, it has also been chosen as the location for several fashion photo-shoots for local magazines and newspapers.

ORIGIN OF THE CONCEPT
The project belongs to 3 young entrepreneurs, the restaurant has 3 main areas and has 3 specialty products. The project was created by getting together 3 creative disciplines (architecture, graphic design and interior design) So, from the number 3 the graphic designers created the name: Impar (which means Odd in Spanish). Due to this, in the logo you read the word IMPAR (Odd) and the lettering is made out of odd numbers.

Design: Esny Martin Design / Architecture in collaboration with Apame Design
Photography: Andrés García Lachner