Turin’s newest bar treats the office as a second skin, loosening its formality after dark.
The office as hospitality blueprint
For two decades, offices have borrowed elements from hotels, cafés, and living rooms to soften the workday. The trend has reversed, with bars and restaurants now adopting corporate aesthetics to shape nightlife.
Architect Fabio Fantolino’s Lève Office Bar takes this concept to an extreme. Located above a garden in central Turin, the space draws from 1960s office design, where material quality mattered, and reinterprets it through chrome, stainless steel, and bold color. The design adapts to the time of day—serene as a coffee bar in the morning, more relaxed by evening.
Those familiar with Fantolino’s earlier work in Turin will notice his signature mid-century influences. Here, the references feel intentional, even playful. The office isn’t just a style choice—it defines the entire experience.
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A three-act sequence of steel and reflection
The bar spans three distinct rooms, each with its own character.
The first centers on a long stainless steel counter that fades into deep red enamel at one end. During the day, it functions as a minimalist coffee station. At night, the same surface becomes a cocktail bar. Below, warm brick-toned herringbone flooring balances the metallic surfaces.
The second room most strongly adopts the office theme. A double-height space, it combines cool steel and chrome with warm wood and leather. A continuous green resin floor unifies the area, while a reflective ceiling grid enhances the industrial feel. Upstairs, small sofas—leather seats with bouclé backs—are arranged like low partitions, echoing open-plan office layouts. A red timber-and-laminate boiserie, edged in metal, frames the setting.
Lighting plays a key role in shaping the atmosphere. Retro-style pendants hang above the upstairs tables, maintaining clean lines. At the counter, Lambert & Fils’ Ipoli 06 and Ipoli 01 fixtures add sharp definition, while Santa & Cole’s Maija lamp provides a softer glow near the cashier.
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The space demonstrates how rigid workplace structures can become a backdrop for something more dynamic. The same materials that once symbolized corporate uniformity now create a setting for casual drinks. The transformation shows how even the most formal environments can be rethought with creativity.
Hospitality spaces have borrowed from offices before. Seoul’s Indiesalon QDC turned a Gangnam coffee shop into a workplace homage last year. Lève stands apart because it doesn’t rely on nostalgia. Instead, it reimagines 1960s office craftsmanship for leisure rather than productivity.
The approach yields a bar that feels both recognizable and unexpected. The chrome and steel are unmistakably office-like, yet their arrangement—shifting between day and night—makes them feel fresh. The result confirms that even the most structured spaces can be reinvented with a different perspective.
Photography by ELLER Studio / Serena Eller Vainicher. Styling by Alessandra Orzali.
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