A lighter setting for a more ambitious restaurant
The owner of Ipsos Di Mare wanted to replace the hotel’s dark, dated ground-floor restaurant with a more elegant setting capable of attracting diners from beyond the hotel.
The design opened the existing structure to more daylight, reorganised the bar and service areas and introduced a new indoor breakfast buffet, while retaining the relaxed appeal of open-air dining beside the beach.
A restrained palette of sand-coloured surfaces, natural timber, woven fibres and generous planting gave the restaurant a more contemporary identity without turning it into a formal or overly styled destination. Flexible furniture arrangements allowed the space to accommodate couples, families and larger groups throughout the day.
Attracting guests beyond the hotel
The existing restaurant was run-down, dark and visually dated, with an assortment of ageing finishes, obsolete equipment and decorative elements accumulated over several decades.
The owner wanted more than a cosmetic refurbishment. The restaurant needed a stronger identity—one that would feel appropriate to its beachfront setting while helping the hotel appeal to a more discerning clientele.
The brief therefore combined atmosphere with practical hospitality requirements. The new restaurant needed to feel more elegant and current, but it also needed to serve breakfast efficiently, adapt to different group sizes and remain relaxed enough for informal seaside dining.
Opening a fixed stone structure
The existing external walls were load-bearing stone, which meant the openings could not simply be enlarged to create the completely open façade the restaurant needed.
Instead, existing window openings were stripped out and converted into doors. This allowed more sunlight into the ground floor and created a better relationship between the indoor buffet and service areas and the open-air restaurant outside.
Walls and outdated elements were removed where the structure permitted. The ceiling, bar and internal circulation were reorganised, and the kitchen layout was reconsidered to make service more efficient during busy periods.
The challenge was to make the restaurant feel substantially more open without altering the fundamental structural shell.
Bringing the beach into the restaurant
Rather than importing the heavy textiles, ornamental furniture and formal “Parisian café” aesthetic often applied to Greek waterfront restaurants, the design drew directly from the beaches of Corfu.
Sand-coloured walls created a quiet backdrop for natural timber furniture, oversized woven pendants and layers of greenery. Black-framed openings gave the pale materials definition, while built-in seating and concealed perimeter lighting introduced a more refined character without making the restaurant feel overly formal.
Large plants and climbing greenery softened the existing structure and helped the open-air seating feel sheltered and established. The overall palette was deliberately restrained: cream, black, timber and natural fibres arranged to create a relaxed, sun-washed setting beside the sea.
Flexible enough for different groups
The furniture plan was developed around combinations rather than one fixed restaurant layout.
Two-person tables could remain separate for couples or be joined together for families and larger groups. Benches, dining chairs and upholstered seating created different ways to occupy the restaurant without dividing it into rigid zones.
This flexibility allowed the hotel to adjust the layout as demand changed—from breakfast service and quiet daytime dining to larger evening groups—while maintaining clear circulation for guests and staff.
From breakfast light to evening atmosphere
The restaurant was designed to change character throughout the day.
During breakfast and lunch, the opened façade, pale finishes and natural materials make the space feel bright and connected to the waterfront. In the evening, concealed perimeter lighting and oversized woven pendants create a warmer and more intimate atmosphere.
The result is a restaurant concept that can support several types of service without losing its central identity: informal, contemporary and unmistakably connected to the beach.
