Selva Restaurant & Sonora Cocktail Bar

BRIEF & CHALLENGES
The space on the 24th floor of an industrial, glass-enclosed tower offers views over Amsterdam’s outskirts. The restaurant’s and bar's Latin American cuisine and tropical influences aim to create a warm, jungle-inspired atmosphere that softens its initial hardness.

CONCEPT
The design of both spaces complements the gastronomic concept with organic shapes, natural materials, and vibrant colours, creating a lush and exotic experience and referencing the tropical rainforest.

MATERIALITY & FUNCTIONALITY
In Selva Restaurant, wooden elements with undulating shapes function as benches and dividers, evoking a dense forest and helping to zone the space, creating winding paths and softening the space's initial rigidity.
Guests enter beneath a vibrant, plant-filled ceiling with a suspended reflective element that resembles a tropical river, complemented by abundant greenery.
Reflective finishes in metal, glass, and ceramics amplify the tropical feel, while colours inspired by Latin American art add contrast.
The colourful tile open bar evokes Latin American textiles and connects the open kitchen and drink station with the guest area.

Sonora Cocktail Bar offers breathtaking views of Amsterdam’s outskirts through a floor-to-ceiling glass façade. The challenge was to ensure the bar itself became a focal point amidst such spectacular scenery.
At Sonora, a gleaming golden bar takes center stage, its fluid, organic design inspired by pre-Columbian gold artifacts and the legend of "El Dorado." Lush greenery, aquatic patterns, and deep green tones create an atmosphere reminiscent of Latin American jungles.
Reflective surfaces evoke cascading water, while eclectic, vibrant furniture adds intrigue, inspired by the bold colors and hidden dangers of tropical wildlife and vegetation.