Restaurant remodel in Colombia: Antojao’s 110 m² corner
Draft under review.
A restaurant remodel in Colombia: how I designed Antojao’s 110 m² corner, with two facades that serve as the restaurant’s sign.
A corner property is visible from two streets, and the remodel of Antojao started from there. Antojao is a two-story, 110 m² restaurant. I designed it and managed the project under a delegated arrangement, coordinating suppliers and the build for the owner. The work was completed in 2022. The idea was to make the entire facade serve as the restaurant’s sign, on both sides of the corner.
The first idea: the corner as a sign
The first sketch addressed one question: how people would read the name from the street. One side of the corner had a large circle for the logo. The other had a vertical strip for a sign. Below, a covered terrace offered a view of the activity inside. People approaching from either street could see the restaurant before reaching the door.
The design development sketch
The materials took shape in the design development sketch: perforated facade panels, a brick base, wood-framed windows, a brick chimney and hanging plants on the terrace. I also drew the cars and pedestrians on the street, because a restaurant facade needs to be judged from the sidewalk, at the eye level of someone walking past.
The restaurant facade as built
In the finished building, the perforated panels are black, edged with gold trim. The brick remains exposed, as in the drawing, and the circular logo and vertical sign occupy the same sides of the corner as in the sketch. The covered terrace, with its plants and low brick wall, sits where it was drawn.
The most visible change from the sketch is the color. The drawing is light and the finished building is dark. Against the black panels, the gold trim and illuminated logo stand out.
After dark
A restaurant operates for much of its opening hours after the street goes dark, so the facade has to work then, too. At dusk, the logo and sign light up on both facades, and the illuminated interior is visible through the terrace.
Lessons for a restaurant remodel in Colombia
The construction cost was about COP 290 million for 110 m² across two floors. In a small restaurant, every meter of facade has to work, and a corner property provides two sides to display the business.
If your space is on a corner, use both sides: put the name on each facade and make the entrance visible from both streets. If it has two floors, the upper floor is also visible from farther away and is the best place for a large sign. If you can have a terrace, keep it visible. People sitting outside are the best indication that the restaurant is open.
The facade needs to be considered from the start, alongside the restaurant’s operations: the kitchen, kitchen exhaust, restrooms and permits. I cover that part in the article on restaurant design and construction in Colombia.
See more photos on the Antojao restaurant project page. If you’re opening or remodeling a restaurant, contact me with the property’s address, floor area and what you want to do, or request a quote.
