Carmela Horno y Cocina is a boutique bakery and restaurant located in Pereira, a small city in the heart of the Colombian Coffee Cultural Landscape, a proud UNESCO World Heritage site . It opens its doors from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm, in the middle of a residential neighborhood, which is undergoing a transformation towards a more commercial environment. 

The space is inspired in artisanal processes. Carmela´s design embraces the old way of building ovens, the logs of wood used to light the fire, the mud floors, the threads of the bundles of flour and the special color of the bread dough that wraps the whole place. All these elements guided the concept and made this place, the restaurant people want to visit and the bakery where friends and families want to stay and share.

Carmela stands out as a different option in a small city full of industrial and fancy places with the same appearance. Curious guests can see and almost feel the delicate palette of colors, even feminine for some of them. 

Materials
Traditional materials from the region such as handcrafted bricks, clay flooring and wood in its natural state were brought together to enrich a modern, yet traditional surrounding. Different installation patterns just enhanced and brought coziness to Carmela. 

The project is a symbol of resilience of the people from the region since the design and construction took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, scarce and desired materials were not available due to shortages that the suppliers faced with closed Chinese ports and Colombia went on a major strike that isolated Pereira from other industrial centers. 

All these challenging scenarios became an opportunity to create, solve and deliver. We came up with a good design concept with the resources we had on hand. In a decisive teamwork with the builder, I visited brickyards in areas surrounding Pereira and bought everything domestically manufactured in cities like Medellín and Bogota.

The result: more than 460m2 of pride, cherishable moments, floors and walls installed piece by piece to provide that incomparable warmth that makes you always go back to Carmela, Horno y Cocina.

Lighting
The stunning pendant lamps were custom designed by a Colombian designer who works with light as an art, using handmade knitting fique.

One of her pieces of art is on the top of a modular sofa that organize the place and the other one is on the Bar just where you have to buy daily bakery.

As a surprise you can find kind of wheat spikes but they are dry Heliconias, a traditional flower that only grows in the region. The light enlightening the dry foliage ends in a beautiful atmosphere.