Piselli, one of the most acclaimed restaurants in São Paulo, will open in Iguatemi’s central plaza, the oldest Brazilian mall in operation and a popular Sao Paulo interior public space. Eric Carlson and his office CARBONDALE designed this “restaurant without walls,” using vegetation and materials to divide spaces.

Situated in a 32,000 square-foot, 4-story-high interior plaza lined with travertine stone and naturally illuminated with a sculptural skylight, CARBONDALE’s restaurant is wrapped with vertical, gold-plated brass-bars. Carlson gave the restaurant open views of the garden, along with natural ventilation and light.

A rise in the cumaru wood parquet flooring distinguishes the restaurant from the plaza. The ceiling, a polished and lacquered smoked cedar wood, reflects the vegetation, making the height of the 20-foot-tall space appear more expansive. The vertical, wood frames, infilled with a brass mesh, subdivide the space, giving it depth and adding a sense of shade. CARBONDALE calls this result a “Restaurant in the Garden.” Carlson said in Portuguese, “If I had to choose a Brazilian common feature I would say the importance of nature and greenery.” And Piselli adds this exact cultural and social element to the Iguatemi shopping center.

Iguatemi’s Piselli and Plaza, both designed by CARBONDALE, are great steps towards introducing customized design to shopping centers, where architecture does not always fit cultural and social factors.