Italian restaurant group Big Mamma continue to blaze a trail with bold hospitality designs, showcasing the unique flare and fun personality behind the brand.
Big Mamma’s hyped up, in-your-face, full throttle, Instagram-able interiors have landed all over Europe in the last couple of years; making waves, or rather craters, where they land. A place to go for dates, long lunches with friends or social family gatherings, one things for sure – you’re going to have fun!
With the two Big Mamma founders setting the tone from the top, both Victor Lugger and Tigrane Seydoux are completely in the detail, right down to the quirks and whimsical objects. Working within Studio Kiki, Big Mamma’s in house design studio, allows them to create ‘environments, worlds or off-world’ ideas for their newest restaurants.
“We’re not trying to be fun, we’re trying to have fun and those are very different things,” says Victor. “When you want to have fun, you don’t force stuff. On the contrary, you let yourself go. This is why you laugh, this is what having fun is.”
From the duos formation in 2013, to their first restaurant in Paris in 2015, it’s been a whirlwind of new openings. From intimate bistros, to large 4,500 square meter restaurants in the French capital, each have been opened with the crazed passion that they both share.
In 2019 the group moved the headquarters to the UK. “We moved to London because the city is an absolute dream for us. Now that we have built a team in Paris, we felt the time was right to cross the channel. It may sound silly to talk about fate, but that’s what we feel is happening here – bringing our Big Mamma family to London was meant to be,” says Victor.
Big Mamma group now have three hugely successful restaurants in London, including Gloria’s in Shoreditch and Circolo Popolare in Fitzrovia, which both existed before the pandemic. The latest opening, Ava Mario, offers a different experience all together. It’s clear that the group has perfected the tri-factor: great food and drink, coupled with fun interiors and excellent high energy service, with a price point that hit’s London’s sweet spot making it exceptional value for money. No wonder people are still queuing up to get a table at Circolo Popolare every evening before it opens, nearly two years since its launch.
The most recent restaurant to crash into London with a bang is Ava Mario situated on Covent Garden’s famous Henrietta street. With a 300 cover capacity across three floors, the seating area in the basement space could be best described as having a split personality – think 70’s night club meets loud and passionate Italian open kitchen. It’s interior so unique and unexpected, that Kylie Minogue chose the space as the back drop to her latest disco style music video.
As always, Studio Kiki, along with their handpicked team of suppliers, selected and curated pieces that would to enhance the vibe of the restaurant. The 1970’s tulip chairs coupled gold vain marble table tops, all reflect in the mirrored ceiling, essentially doubles the volume and impact of everything in the space.
In contrast to the locations in London, in August 2021 the brand launched restaurant Villa Capri in Madrid. Much lighter in look and feel, but still not holding back any punches. Surveying over the restaurant are two huge mermaids sitting on the bar, looking out over a sea of traditional bentwood chairs that of course feature the Big Mama signature gloss effects and bespoke fabrics. “Our restaurant will have a memorable and wonderfully colourful design, with some recognizable references,” says Victor. Working across so many European countries allows Big Mamma to take local inspiration and combine it with their in house style, filling each with astonishing impactful interiors.
The business approach reflects the purposefully created “no brand, no chain, no cookie cutter” look and feel. Each restaurant appears independent on the surface, tightly held together by a highly sophisticated and successful hospitality company underneath. To create these restaurants and their individual personalities, Studio Kiki’s Design Manager, Adaline, describes the process as “unorthodox.” Describing the process Adaline explains, “We look at the story and then the style – relaying the design briefs to our bespoke manufactures, asking them to help create new interesting items for each restaurant. Its a highly collaborative process, trust is key.”
An example of this strong collaborative relationship is with Contract Furniture By Design (CFBD), headed by Langton Stead. The group have worked with Langton for over five years on 10 restaurants across Europe. “Over the last 5 years we have developed many bespoke chairs and tables in partnership with Studio Kiki. From internal handmade cane chairs, cantilever metal chairs and upholstered timber armchairs, to barstools and the external furniture on Monaco beach,” says Langton. “We thoroughly enjoy going to the first new project meeting and seeing what’s next on list. It’s never easy but always rewarding and great fun. From a project perspective, Coccodrillo in Berlin was my firm favourite. The external terrace chairs are hand forged iron, with curling metal work details and interlocking base stands outside. The art deco building sets a stage that could also be a scene in some classic Cold War movie.”
It’s clear that the hospitality industry will face many challenges in the year ahead, however those who are brave tend to lead the way in attracting and retaining people. With several more sites on the horizon, two more in Europe and a further two in London, it’s clear that Big Mamma group won’t be turning down the volume anytime soon.
www.bigmammagroup.com | IG: @bigmamma.uk
Photography by Jérôme Galland
