Autoban, the internationally acclaimed Istanbul-based design studio has just completed Nopa, a 220 square metre restaurant and bar in the heart of Istanbul’s stylish Nisantasi district.

Nopa is housed on the ground floor of a recently built apartment building, also designed by Autoban. The building’s front façade features a striking geometric composition applied in varying overlapping layers.  The same linear motifs extend to the interior of the restaurant, which comprises of distinct indoor and outdoor spaces. Nopa is the latest commission by Autoban’s long-time collaborators, the owners of the city’s popular The House Cafés and The House Hotels.

In creating the concept for the restaurant, Autoban have demonstrated the ability to seamlessly fuse architecture, interior and product design. Colours, materials and textures rooted in nature define the design style of Nopa.

Upon entering the restaurant, guests ascend into the front indoor section with its rich palette of blacks, browns, beiges and greys and accents of brass. The walls and bar top are covered in sumptuous black book-matched marble – selected for its unique vein structure – along with metal and wood surfaces. The natural stone flooring has varying tones that form a continuous geometric pattern, echoing the exterior architecture.

A natural extension of the interior, the rear open air dining area takes the same approach to layering and mixing of materials. The sense of being outdoors is heighted by a retractable glass roof and a feature waterfall, while a lush vertical garden designed in collaboration with famed French living wall designer Patrick Blanc, dramatically wraps around and frames the outside space.

The bar at Nopa is the focal point of the space and runs almost the entire length of the interior before snaking out into the outdoor area to form a looped island surrounded by elegant bar seating.

In line with Autoban’s holistic approach to design, all of the lighting and furniture has been custom-designed for the space. The furniture and lighting design continues the exploration of geometry and layering and ranges from elegant Mid Century-inspired brass pendant lighting to classical leather sofas with wooden shells.

Nopa is located in the Nisantasi district at Atiye Sok No. 6, Istanbul.