I was always attracted by the old bricks when passing by Hotel Caro. This family owned hotel kept the spirit of what was once a printing factory. Just outside the center of Bucharest, close to Herestrau Park and along a canal, Hotel Caro has the perfect location for a relaxing stay when you are visiting Bucharest for pleasure or for business. The hotel has different restaurants and bars. It was time to give the breakfast room La Bellevue and update.

Breakfast room La Bellevue became La Vitrine, a contemporary bistro with industrial touches. Immediately when entering the bistro you see a combination of neutral tones, with black metal and some colour accents.

Hotel Caro - entrance of La Vitrine - picture Sorin Iacob for Casa Lux

We choose for a neutral colour palette of beige tones and grey combined with a soft blue. The beams, which were in dark brown, were painted in a light warm grey tone to give the space a more open and relaxed feeling.

before - after picture Sorin Iacob for Casa Lux

The space is very long and not that wide, you had the impression that it was long corridor. To give it a more cosy look it was important to break the space visually in 2 parts. The buffet area which existed before out of long oval tables was replaced by long buffets in the back of a high banquette.

When entering the bistro you will find a lot of small tables for 2 persons, once you pass the buffet area you will get to a more relaxed area, a big round table to invite a bigger group, and a lounge area in front of the open fire to relax with your newspaper and a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.

Natural wood, glass jars, handmade ceramics. From the first steps into the bistro you will discover a refined ambiance, with an eye for detail.

The walls were covered with ceramic tiles which, maybe one day, gave to space a modern natural look. They had to go out, same for the floor. The window, looking into the kitchen, got reduced in length, replaced by a window in metal and the wall was painted in blackboard paint.