Masquespacio completes Riyadh waffle house that's "not just a place to eat waffles"

Spanish studio Masquespacio designed the interior of this restaurant in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to reference the appearance of waffles, with gridded patterns applied across the furniture and decor.

Masquespacio was approached to develop a fun and immersive concept for Novu Waffle, which was looking to expand following the success of its initial takeaway-only shop.

The studio, headed by Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse, set out to create a unique customer experience by applying a waffle pattern to the facade and interior of the space in the city's downtown Al Olaya district.

"The client's aim was to create a design that would transmit the fun approach of the brand, while at the same time respecting a reduced budget, with solutions that are easy to implement in other locations," explained Penasse.

Located within a street-level unit that previously housed another restaurant, Novu Waffle welcomes customers with a facade displaying waffle-like gridded window frames.

The waffle motif is repeated throughout the interior, with ceilings, walls, tables and stools all decorated with grids of squares in varying sizes. All of the furniture was custom-made to ensure a cohesive aesthetic.

"As the brand sells waffles, we thought it could be a fun, playful and dynamic way to use the form of the waffle as a pattern that would be recreated in the space," Penasse told Dezeen. "This also gives the brand the opportunity to use it for its communication."

The restaurant's seating area is surrounded by a low rectangular brick wall that also forms the base for benches arranged around its perimeter. Individual seats feature faux-leather cushions that extend onto the backrest.

From the entrance, customers follow a route that leads them around the seating area to the counter, where menus and ordering information is displayed on signs set in rounded rectangular frames.

Similar shapes form a grid on one wall, which presents brand images and playful waffle-related graphics. The rounded shapes used for the frames were produced from wood and metal using a CNC cutting machine.

Novu Waffle's brand colours of blue and yellow were applied both internally and externally. The majority of the restaurant's interior is painted a light blue shade that contrasts with a translucent yellow structure suspended above the seating area.

Masquespacio oversaw every element of the space's design, creating an interior the studio said is "not just a place to eat waffles: it is a destination to enjoy a moment of joy in a stimulating and energetic environment".

Based in Valencia, Masquespacio was founded in 2010 by creative director Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and marketing specialist Penasse.

The couple's own home and office in the Spanish city features maximalist interiors that reference design movements including Memphis, art deco and futurism.

Masquespacio works across interior design, product design and branding, with previous projects including a sushi restaurant inspired by space tourism and a collection of colourful clay lamps that resemble palm trees.

The photography is by Masquespacio.

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