Vienna restaurant Motto on the river

Location analysis

Down Town In Vienna no other focal point but the location of the „Motto am Fluss” can be found along the banks of the Danube Canal. It is situated at the junction between St. Stephan’s Cathedral and the Karmelitermarket – thus between the historic old city centre and modern contemporary Vienna, opposite a striking Skyline of the lower Donaustraße. On this spot, Vienna defines true cosmopolitan city life with its pulsating traffic streams and flows of people.

Harbour Here the Viennese shipping traffic has been docking and setting sail ever since. On the same spot, the landing bridge for the catamarans of the Twincityliner, connecting Vienna and Bratislava, has been newly constructed. And here as well, travellers enter the banks of this metropolis on the Danube, smart business women and hasty secretaries carry their morning coffees-to-go, cheerful groups of young people meet to go clubbing after sunset. Not only Sundays, young fathers are sitting along the walls of the pier with their baby prams. Not only in winter senior citizens accompanied by their dogs are spotted jogging right next to the metro of the Otto-Wagner-city tracks. Here the city never sleeps.

Design analysis

Venice in the 50s. The diverse functions and sophisticated atmospheric needs of the „Motto am Fluss“, spreading on two levels, are being merged pay homage to the “Venice of the 50’s”. In this context, the immediacy of the water, the docking and setting sail of ships can be observed from the sunlit platform. The casual elegance of the bar- and restaurant furnishings, which has been handcrafted with a maritime sensibility, where, accompanied by good music, new creations of drinks are served and sophisticated yet sociable wining and dining is offered. The interior of the landing bridge is dominated by a high tech diagonal steel tube structure. With its soft elegant forms, akin to the early Italian industrial design which grew under the influence of the American way of life in the early 50’s, „Motto am Fluss” plays to the gallery. Artfully patterned tile flooring and tile walls are paired with back-illuminated cherry wood racks in the „Motto am Fluss” shop and shining black table tops in the restaurant.

The movement, the dynamics, the water, the air and the lights of the metropolis, the foam created by the ships’ turbines, are reflected in the various mirror lights, which are freely and loosely hanging in the quay's belly.

The feeling of comfort and cosiness is created by the shiny velvet black upholstered furniture with nuances of various pastel-coloured welts. An elegantly styled brass clock above the kitchen entrance is reminiscent of the culture of travelling, respectively the punctuality of the means of transportation.

Mother´s kitchen From the upper deck of the “Motto am Fluss”, the view of the channel and of the inner city skyline up to the Kahlenberg-horizon is breathtaking. Directly underneath the platforms, the Danube and the city traffic is flowing. Here, sitting in the lightweight, seemingly weaved metal furniture, one can comfortably enjoy the sun. On this level, facing inwards, the charm of the Café “Motto am Fluss” evolves easily like a gathering in mother´s kitchen – the possibility to take a look into the procedures of food preparation, to smell and to observe what is coming out of the black cast iron oven included. On the long raw wooden tables, paired with broken-white kitchen chairs and colorfully sprinkled Eames-classics, the guests and the team become like one family, which does not distinguish between the spaces in front or behind the counter.

Looking good on the Andrea Doria The sophisticated style of design and management is the basis for the openly uncomplicated coexistence of the Jet-set and people working in an office, of party-goers and Sunday-brunchers. The famously long and opulent celebrations in Venice and its famous Harry´s Bar are by all means related with Vienna´s lifestyle and it’s “Motto am Fluss”. Therefore, the Powderooms are covered with Venetian mirrors. And for this reason as well, in the elongated event area, the wooden wall coverings have small integrated seating niches, which in Piero Fornasetti’s style are displaying historical views of the Laguna-city on the artful wallpapers.

One of the most beautiful passenger ships ever built, the elegant and racy SS Andrea Doria of the Italian Line sank on the 26th of July 1956 after colliding with the Stockholm near the coast of Nantucket. One niche is devoted to a replica of a 1st class cabin on the Andrea Doria – paying hommage to its designer Gio Ponti and its avowal to lightness and subtlety.