Mihai POPESCU

Biutiful By The Lake

Biutiful By The Lake is located on the shore of Floreasca Lake and is designed as a hanging garden over the water, which perfectly harmonizes with its surroundings. In this regard, its designer Mihai Popescu chose to create a minimalist design, allowing the nature to play its part as well. Since the place is strongly connected to water, Mihai Popescu preponderantly used water-related elements, whether we refer to the overturned boat above the central bar which ushers us to an upside down world, like a Noah’s Ark gathering various human types, or to the fish swimming in the air like industrial objects with a clean geometry.
The ceiling and the horizontal lateral shutters are retractable and release the view to the water, but also serve as a shelter against the water currents coming from the lake. Both the ceiling and the windows are opened manually and they are especially made for this location.
The interior is furnished with pieces signed by Patricia Urquiola, Philippe Stark, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, but also with furniture pieces created by Mihai Popescu in his Twins Studio atelier. One of them, which can be found in other places signed by the designer, is the Achille library, which is a discreet piece, almost invisible, but, if taken out of place, the whole ambience becomes unbalanced. As far as handmade or limited series objects are concerned, the floor in front of the central bar is made out of ceramic handmade in Manchester.
The true challenge came when the restaurant had to be effectively built, for its location in the park did not allow the usage of cranes. The entire construction was designed as a genuine Meccano game, where every element was designed, projected, produced and lifted with bare hands.

Biutiful By The Lake is the project signed by the designer Mihai Popescu, together with its architecture atelier, Twins Studio, which won the Big Prize of Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, in 2015, at UK & International Category.

Elle Decoration Romanian Design Award 2015 – Lifetime Achievement Award
2015 Restaurant and Bar Design Award, Winner

Mihai Popescu, designer, over 15 years of experience.

Personal brand concepts: Relentless designer, with an over 15 years of experience in design of product, interior and scenography. He is one of the pioneers of the Romanian ambient design of public places – coffee shops, restaurants, clubs. Award-winning designer nationwide and worldwide. He is the only Romanian designer who won the Restaurant and Bar Design Award.

Stands out: He created and designed over 100 places throughout his career. He has an eclectic creation style, and knows how to lead a project from first draft to final production, He pays extra care to details, his last 15 years’ projects being the living proof in this regard.