The architectural firm that is seeking to resuscitate and modernise the traditional Malta bus has returned to its roots, carrying on its mission to revive Maltese heritage by converting a corner property in the core of Dingli into a contemporary café, inspired by both the surrounding village context and the elegance of European art-deco bistros. 

With Barbajean, Mizzi Studio’s latest project – and its first in Malta – has focused on a celebration of the joy and tradition of eating and drinking; activities that unite friends, family and communities and have been inextricably linked with architecture for centuries, says its director Jonathan Mizzi. 

The Maltese architect and  designer founded the award-winning architecture and design practice in 2011, with studios in London and now Valetta that work across a range of disciplines, scales and sectors, seeking out projects that have a positive social and cultural impact.  

It’s not surprising, therefore, that the team embraced the brief – a context-driven conversion project, drawing influence from the colours, materials and traditions of its village home.

Dingli remains one of Malta’s “most beloved belvedere destinations”, with uninterrupted sea views and Filfla. And the team was keen to create  a new destination for the village –  a recreational landmark that would celebrate its environment, while injecting it with new life.  

“Dingli represents the modest  and slow-paced way of life that is so typical of the Mediterranean and old Malta specifically,” says Mizzi. “Working within its particular urban fabric was a key inspiration  for us.” 

The team embraced the brief – a context-driven conversion project, drawing influence from the colours, materials and traditions of its village home

Speaking passionately about the preservation of village cores, he laments they are being eradicated – and very, very quickly.

“It’s an irreversible erosion at the very core of our Maltese soul. I hope Barbajean can serve as an example  of how we can marry old and new successfully within Urban Conservation Areas, while staying true to our heritage roots.” 

The Dingli project was approached with a desire to inject heritage-driven design solutions into its DNA, so the team studied vernacular precedents with a focus on colour, materials and traditional functionality.  

The design concept for Barbajean took cues from the typical Maltese faċċata, or façade – its coloured timber doors, glass antiporta, informal parapet steps and the mid-century terrazzo architrave tradition were all used as formal inspiration.

With its street-corner site, the team identified an opportunity to create a classical, symmetrical statement. A triptych of openings each punctuate an elegant grey-pink rendered façade, stylishly bordered by pale pink terrazzo architraves and surrounding the emerald green timber door and window frames.  

Mizzi Studio is characterised by bold imagination and its approach fuses traditional craft with the latest digital manufacturing techniques. Drawing inspiration from the natural world, its work is distinguished by colour, texture and warmth, creating transformative and experiential results. 

And Barbajean embodies just  that, standing at the heart of a quintessential Maltese village experience; an opportunity to stop and reflect on the beauty of the natural surroundings and nearby cliffs. 

In fact, Dingli’s extensive rural buffer also held particular weight in the design process, Mizzi explains.  

“As a studio, we are deeply influenced by nature and how architecture can live in harmony with natural surroundings. We envisioned Barbajean as a pitstop, or end destination, that might weave into long walks within the region’s beautiful landscape.”  

Barbajean has been shaped from the inside out as a customised design statement. From light fixtures to signage and furniture, Mizzi Studio has carefully crafted a contemporary bistro vocabulary that is unique to  the café’s intended ambiance.  

Its bar space rekindles the elegance of European art-deco bistros, with three slender and tall repeating arches, lit in striking neon accents and calligraphy, and rendered in a speckled pale pink terrazzo. The arches complement the emerald green of the timber fluted bar body and work in parallel with its custom-made terrazzo countertop.  

Bespoke brass tubular barstools line up along the length of the bar, and velvet upholstery complements the green timber fluting.  

A long communal seating bench lines the back of the café’s entrance façade, sitting beneath its large window. Upholstered in a robust green, it calls to mind the Parisian tubing of architect Hector Guimard’s art nouveau metro station entrances. The bench is partnered with a series of custom-designed and -built tables, each having a pink terrazzo top, flecked with shards of Verde Guatemala. 

Aside from the café’s furniture,  the Mizzi team designed a series of bespoke light fixtures that illuminate, partition and opulently decorate the café’s entire interior space. 

Along the café’s seating wall, double-bowed brass tubes form the bodies of another series of statement lamps, each implicitly dividing the common seating bench, creating rhythmic visual partitions via their arched rods and spherical lampshades. 

To complement the colour and material story, as well as the fact that the design is “rooted in heritage”, Mizzi Studio approached illustrator and designer Ed Dingli to create original artwork for the restaurant. 

The exclusive series drew from  the cultural spirit of Dingli’s typical village life, aligning with Mizzi  Studio’s central design drive to  return to heritage as primary inspiration. 

“This project gave us an opportunity to evolve a new distinctive design language while  also offering a comfortable sense  of familiarity. We wanted to create something that wholly represented this particular place and its identity – its site, its management and its overall spirit,” Mizzi says. 

“We are so excited Barbajean’s doors are open to the public and it is fast becoming one of Dingli’s regular go-to eating destinations.”  

Meanwhile, chef and owner Jean Pierre Dingli says “Jonathan and his team understood the spirit of Barbajean from our earliest discussions.  

“We wanted to create a food destination that provided an elevated experience to diners – a place that would combine the pride of heritage with the excitement of contemporary design. 

“Their attention to detail, love of materials and deep interest in craftsmanship matched our own distinct vision for a versatile eatery that would celebrate the ritual of dining out.”

This article first appeared in Places magazine, free with The Sunday Times of Malta.