A precise choice of materials, travertine, a cultured reference, to the Brion Tomb by Carlo Scarpa, and a reflection on the stairs’ function. These are the premises of the project, “The stairs with the bar“.
Elisa Gori, Italian, and Jaehyun Yoon, South Korean, founded the Gori&Yoon Studio in 2018 in Florence, combining their experiences and skills, tradition, and modernity of their cultures in a joint research path.
Thus, reasoning, researching, and reflecting on the staircase theme, the couple has developed a concept that entrusts this architectural element with a different function. “Corridors and stairs – they explain – are exclusively considered connections without functions and passages without life and activity of space.”
Starting from a floor plan detached from any real place, it connects to a ground floor to the basement, where they place the bar. The result is an architectural element with a strong visual impact: motivated by the Escher effect with its negative and positive volumes, inspired by Scarpiana with its evocative light and shadow effects. “In our idea, from the steps of the staircase comes the bar counter, which in addition to having its function, is characterized as a large stone sculptural work.”
A work that ideally uses travertine because its light and warm color create a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere: “we wanted to use a natural stone without many veins, which creates a cozy and relaxing environment. Additionally, we did not want a type of stone that is too visible to distract attention from the staircase and the concept we wanted to express”.
And, in an underground context, travertine emphasizes an ideal connection with earth and nature.
