A simple restaurant imbued with a grandiose work
Located on the roof of the Nabu Museum in Chekka, 10 kilometers from Batroun and facing one of the most beautiful beaches in Lebanon, ANU, a 400 m2 restaurant, is the result of a fruitful collaboration between Gregory Gatserelia, designer, and Eva Szumilas, designer of the tree, the central piece of the place.
ANU’s concept is inspired by Mediterranean landscapes, and its goal is to ensure an interconnection between the clientele and the sea. The result is a simple, well-ordered look, broken up by two centerpieces, in this case the carved tree surrounded by the sophisticated bar, facing the Mediterranean, as well as by bright geometric shapes embedded in the walls, where they are found. A highlight of the design of this semi-open bistro, Gregory Gatserelia’s tree, showing the seasonal change of leaves from green to red and then falling in autumn, just before the fruit ripens, was a poem, tracing the Lebanese dream evolving through time from a difficult past to a better future. Polish-Lebanese designer Eva Szumilas, who has designed several art installations for Gregory’s work, interpreted this poetry through a metal tree montage, covered with green leaves that change with the seasons. The steel sculpture, titled The Tree of Life and displayed on an open surface overlooking the sea, seemed like a very difficult project to finalize, given its weight, corrosion, and wind force. Moreover, it is built without any architectural drawings, the final aspect being only in the head of its creator. The fabrication process took five weeks and required the travel of a team of welders from HAG Design and the supervision of a structural engineer. A hard and meticulous work before seeing, finally, this masterpiece, implanted on the roof of the Nabu museum, in Chekka.
