The LORO restaurant in Poznań is a space that not only serves Italian cuisine, but allows you to take a symbolic journey towards sunny Italy. The project by Jeju Studio, directed by Iwo Borkowicz, grows out of the aesthetic essence of two different areas of Jeżyce. On the one hand, the soft Art Nouveau spirit of the tenements at Krasińskiego and Roosevelta streets, and on the other, the clumsy but daring postmodernism of Poznanska and Jeżycka streets. The meeting of these two worlds became the foundation of formal freedom, which the interior of LORO celebrates through geometric compositions, a wealth of materials and ornaments.
Behind LORO is the duo Katerina Us and Wojciech Pyskło, creators well known to the Poznan culinary scene. Their joint projects – from the elegant Parle Patisserie, to the artisanal bakery chain Zagrodnicza, to Winogratka – combine a passion for authentic flavours with a sense of aesthetics and the atmosphere of a place. At LORO, they develop this philosophy, offering a modern interpretation of Italian cuisine where handmade pasta, pizza from a traditional oven and local ingredients come together in an honest, natural food story.
In this project, we considered the identity of the place as its co-author and a mine of narrative. ‘The interior of LORO is meant to entertain and build itself into a conversation with the spirit of the area, in parallel adding its own Italian origins,’ Borkowicz emphasises.
This declaration is reflected in every detail: the space becomes a curatorial extension of a walk through north-eastern Jeżyce, and in places it allows itself direct quotations from the facades of neighbouring buildings.
The clearest sign of its Italian pedigree is the replica of the kitchen from the 15th-century villa made famous in the film Call Me by Your Name. It is this that greets guests in the first room, setting the tone for the whole experience. Further on, an eclectic landscape of objects stretches out: lamps and furniture specially designed by Jeju Studio, Czechoslovakian chandeliers from the 1960s, Danish wooden chairs and chrome Italian seating from the 1970s. They form a mosaic in which design history meets the author’s vision of a contemporary interior.
The materials and techniques used in LORO build a multi-layered story. Veneered benches and checkerboard-patterned piping guide the eye along the walls, lacquered steel lamps hang above the tables, and a metal structure trimmed with textiles has become a display for spirits. The front counter, painted ‘from the brush’, bears a texture inspired by film set design, and the wine rack plays with the sense of stability, seemingly balancing shelves laden with bottles on spherical elements.
The textiles play a dual role here – as shades and as lamps. Their semi-transparent structure allows light to softly penetrate the interior, giving it a brightness and lightness, even though the premises are partly sunken into the ground. The effect is subtle, almost theatrical: the space does not overwhelm but opens up to guests, inviting them into a dialogue with the architecture of Jeżyce and Italian tradition.
Interior design: JEJU studio (Iwo Borkowicz, Mateusz Zwierzchowski, Marcel Skrzywanek, Dominik Paździor)
Photography: Almond Studio
Lamp and lighting design: Joanna Filipowska and Iwo Borkowicz
Graphic identity design: Bartosz Wągrowski
Lamp and furniture makers: ArtiDan Daniel Szekiełda, Hiroko architecture and craft
Secondhand furniture and lamps: Pico the Finder
Textiles: Dakoma
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