The café bar –O13 (ocean thirteen) is located in one of the most advantageous position in the city of Thessaloniki. In the city center in Aristotelous Square, under the gallery which was designed by Ernest Hébrard is facing the coast. It is viewing the Thermaikos Gulf, the port, the Aegean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and our thoughts to the “ocean”. Communicating vessels with the “water” being the basic element to this interaction, like the trends-the waves of art of the fashion of the design each season.
There are strong influences from the latest 50’s and 60’s. There are references in the modernism of 50’s and Eames from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, and to the Italian finesse design of the 50’s-60’s and Gio Ponti, both in the forms and the use of the materials with the objective of affordable non pretentious luxury.
Geometric shapes, with a strong presence of the rhombus both on wall-papers and fabric with the colors of passion, the blue sea, sky, and red intensity combined with wooden surfaces from walnut sometimes like constructed elements and sometimes taking shapes of intense symbolism like fish scales that consist elements-parts of the puzzle of this area.
An important element is that the surfaces of oxidized bronze, like the rest time has left its mark up, to recall other times, gold and red sunsets that anyone can see the sea of Thessaloniki and sometimes the gold and silver reflections of fish in the water under the Mediterranean Sun.
On the whole scene the shutters around the windows are coming to complete, the shading element of most houses, in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal beach in the Mediterranean and Atlantic in earthy tones like those of the floor walls and ceiling.
Furniture and fixtures designed with influences from those decades. Items symbols design like fiat 500 and the Vespa complete the transfer in an atmosphere of refined carefree generation of that season, like being a part of Fellini’s film “Dolce vita”.
Designed by Minas Kosmidis
http://www.contemporist.com/2013/07/15/o-13-by-minas-kosmidis/