Niko Restaurant
NIKO RESTAURANT
Gaya Sofoyan
ARCHITECTS
Gaya Sofoyan
MANUFACTURERS
Gaya Sofoyan, Manana Stone, Tikkurila
LEAD TEAM
Gaya Sofoyan
PHOTOGRAPHS
Sergey Akopyan
AREA
150 m²
YEAR
2025
LOCATION
Yerevan, Armenia
CATEGORY
Restaurant, Interior Design
English description provided by the architects.
Niko Restaurant is located in the city center of Yerevan, Armenia, within a building originally designed during the Soviet period by architect Nikoghayos Buniatyan.
The client's brief called for a comfort-food restaurant interior developed within a very limited budget and a tight timeframe.
The culinary concept is based on using a minimal number of ingredients in each dish, allowing flavors to remain clear and distinct while emphasizing the uniqueness of every product.
This idea was directly translated into the interior design approach. Working with limited resources, the project focused on the existing "skeleton" of the space, complemented by a restrained selection of material "ingredients" introduced with precision.
All accumulated renovation layers were removed, revealing the original lime plaster and preserving the natural texture of the walls.
A small palette of strong, authentic, and natural materials was chosen, allowing each of them to fully express its inherent character within the space.
Through these materials, the project explores the beauty of imperfection. Each material carries its own narrative shaped by natural processes.
The distinctive patterns of poplar veneer result from specific growth conditions, including climate variations and insect activity. Basalt features a porous structure formed by the rapid cooling of lava, trapping gas bubbles within the stone.
The red travertine acquired its atypical coloration from iron oxide deposits in the water during its formation, creating natural reddish and rust-like tones. Similar stories can be found in other materials used throughout the interior.
All furniture was custom-designed for the project. In the smaller dining room, a fabric light installation made of light-colored linen floats above a large marble table.
The installation was inspired by laundry lines stretched between windows in Yerevan's inner courtyards — a familiar everyday image deeply rooted in the city's urban atmosphere.
