Luxury dining delight offering authentic African menu is located in an uptown location in Pune. The restaurant exhibits the essence of African landscape and architecture as you walk around the outdoor seating spaces. The indoor seating space expands on to the serene al fresco that gets skillfully creative with the bamboo parasols, made by local artisans, accompanied by elements of African landscape. The ficus tree that closely mimics the African Baobab tree, sets an incredibly homely feel. This culinary inspiration and meticulous attention to details is an ode to African land and its rich culture. ~Yamini Vaswani
An Ode to African Landscape with this Diversely Inclusive Restaurant in Pune : Baobab | Amoeba Design
Visit: Amoeba Design
Baobab, a fine dine restaurant is part of a mill area converted into a group of restaurants surrounding a common plaza. Baobab is a tree that originates in Africa and the client wanted to have an African inspired menu and ambience and wished for a subtle dominance in the vicinity of other restaurants. The entire ambience is inspired by the pan-African colors, red, black, and green which represents the spirit of Africa.
As the red represents the noble blood that unites all people of African ancestry, the color black for the people, and green for the rich land of Africa.
Our main challenge was to create a fine dine experience keeping the spirit of this rustic space intact. Our main challenge was working with existing dilapidated structure which was a double pitched sloping workshop and kept on giving us surprises. We asked ourselves– What’s it like to have a fine dine restaurant in a dilapidated workshop of mill inspired by the African colors and have a casual outdoor space highlighting Baobab the tree? Our attempt was to take advantage of the existing character through our design by creating an emblematic indoors with the marriage of rustic and fine dine aesthetics.
Black and red forms the main material palette of the indoors while the outdoor is accentuated by natural stones with a symbolic Baobab tree inspired by the natural landscape of Africa. The palette is accentuated with copper and wood to create a visually stunning appeal.
From the main entrance, one can see through the restaurant to the back lit bar at the far end with the hint of red. The restaurant’s seating formations are diverse and varied, allowing for versatile social engagement. The dining consists of clusters of booths and free tables. The outdoor rustic ambience supports less formal and casual conversations.
The original rusted GI sheets on the existing roof were replaced with clay tiles keeping the old wooden trusses intact. A skylight was introduced at the junction of two roofs in the under lit space creating a connection with the nature in the heart of the space.
The concentric circle flooring in black cuddapa stone subtly leads your vision towards the center of the place under the skylight and is highlighted in red, leading you to the sky above which is the fifth element of the palette. The central red area hosts a communal dining space.
The art-deco chandeliers at the bar add an exquisite touch to the dining space. The bespoke lighting in the interior sets a tone for more personal conversations, making the space more intimate. The entire furniture has been customized as per the design.
Conceptualized as a space inspired by Africa, one can see creative flourishes in the menu design and crockery as well.
The table numbers have been derived from the birthdates of people associated with project right from carpenter, site supervisor to the designer & partners in this restaurant. This simple gesture creates a sense of belonging for everyone who has been an integral part of creating this restaurant in their own capacity.
Designed By: Amoeba Design
Project Type: Restaurant
Location: Pune
Plot Area: 5000 SQ.FT.
Built-up Area: 4000 SQ. FT
Project Size: 5000 Sq.ft. (Indoor + outdoor)
Project cost: Rs.1.15 Crore
Seating Capacity: 200 pax capacity
Year Built: 2019
Project Duration: 8 months
Principal Architects: Ar. Pashmin Shah & Ar. Satyajeet Patwardhan
Civil Contractor: Kailash Kumavat
Interior Designers: Amoeba Design
Landscape Architects: Amoeba Design
Structure Engineers: Deltacom Consultants
Lighting Designers: Amoeba Design
Interior Styling: Amoeba Design
Text Courtesy: Amoeba Design
Photograph Courtesy : Pulkit Sehgal & Rohan Joshi
Firm’s Facebook Link: Amoeba Design
Firm’s Instagram Link: Amoeba Design
For Similar Designs >> Barometer – Rustic Yet Classy Restaurant Interior
This home exudes warmth with earth tone interior design. The client, an Indian national doctor based in Jamaica, had a clear vision for his dream home in Bangalore. He wanted a plush residence that would serve as a warm and welcoming haven for his family of three, as they relocated to India. The client’s requirements […]
A 6,500-square-foot house in a peaceful Hyderabad neighbourhood tells a story through arches in interior design, light, shadow, texture, and time rather than words. Meghana Nimmagadda founded the award-winning boutique design studio Designtales, which is responsible for this most recent residential project. Designtales is well-known for its intensely individualised approach to interior design. They create […]
A 3-bedroom apartment with beige interiors hosts a Maharashtrian couple and their two daughters as its residents. The home’s main boast is its huge, full-height windows that let in ample sunlight – a fact which later became a key guiding point in designing the interior space. With Beige Interiors, This Apartment Unfolds Comfort | Agneya […]
The project with wooden interior represents more than just interior design; it was about creating an emotional bridge between two worlds. Kerala’s rich architectural heritage, with its emphasis on natural materials, intricate wooden craftsmanship, and connection to nature, needed to be thoughtfully translated into a modern urban context without losing its authentic character. Gandhi understood […]
Nestled within one of Chennai’s most sought-after and affluent neighbourhoods, The Chic Sanctuary is a quiet luxury style 2025 sq. ft. apartment that stands as a serene and stylish oasis amidst the vibrant energy of the city. Designed with a strong sense of modern sophistication and understated luxury, this home masterfully balances aesthetics with functionality, […]
In a city that rarely sleeps, this house finds calm with neutral interiors. Nestled in the buzzing heart of Mulund, Mumbai, lies a serene sanctuary where design speaks in hushed tones and emotions find form in monochrome whispers. “Whispers of White”, a residential project by Disha Maniyar, principal designer of The Next Step Interiors, is […]
In a city constantly balancing between the fast-paced and the familiar, this serene apartment for Gurjar family in Mulund unfolds like a quiet retreat. Titled The Woven Story, this 4BHK apartment was envisioned as a coming together of different individualities, tastes, and styles, an interior narrative that acknowledges contrast yet seeks cohesion. The brief was […]
The Jade House is a celebration of green interiors through colour, texture, and thoughtful functionality. A home where every design element has been carefully curated to reflect the personality of its residents while maintaining a cohesive aesthetic. Named after the precious jade stone, the home takes inspiration from its lush green tones, which appear gracefully […]
Tucked away in a bustling Bangalore neighbourhood, Anubhav is more than just a home—it’s a feeling, an experience. Designed for a young couple from Assam with a modern eye and a deep love for the arts, this 1500 sq. ft. three-bedroom apartment captures the essence of boho interior design through farmhouse chic living with a […]
When a client from Mumbai’s eastern suburbs—a quiet father-son duo, one of whom is a budding musician—approached us to design their home, it set the stage for a poetic confluence of two creative disciplines: architecture and music. It’s always a rare pleasure when design engages in dialogue with another form of cultural expression, and in […]