Iconic

V&A Waterfront restaurant gets a revamp from ARRCC, a Cape interior architecture and design firm with growing global presence

Balducci restaurant serves a blend of Californian and Mediterranean style food. It is located in Cape Town’s top tourist attraction, the Victoria and Albert Waterfront, which lies below the iconic 7th Wonder of the Natural World, Table Mountain. The views are arresting, the food creative, traditional, and evocative of memorable “home-cooked” meals, but it is the atmosphere created by the interior design and décor that has established Balducci’s as a favourite on the Cape dining scene.

The firm responsible for that ambience is ARRCC. And 20 years after they designed the original interiors for Balducci, they have redesigned the space, losing nothing of the intimacy and unique personality, but adding new layers to the character that only serve to enhance the experience.

“The Balducci restaurant was a project we completed 20 years ago, which developed itself as an institution at Cape Town’s world famous V&A Waterfront,” explains ARRCC director Mark Rielly. It was time for a complete facelift. The brief was to create a new, fresh look while retaining the integrity and history of the Balducci identity, quality and loyal customer base.

ARRCC decided to strip apart the current brand, trimming the excess that had built up over the years to get to Balducci’s essence. “This meant that we had to remove 95% of the existing interior to completely redesign the space,” explains ARRCC director Jon Case. “We decided to focus on the integrity of the materials used within the space to create a sense of authenticity. We used raw steel, warm oak, bronze mirrors, brass and stone washed dusty colours to give the interior an edge. This we hoped would also appeal to a wider target market as the space feels well-travelled, aged and contemporary all at the same time. Our main focus was that we wanted existing loyal customers to feel at home in the new interior, while also appealing to a passers-by.”