Ama, a mission-driven dining destination from husband-and-wife Micah Wilder and Johanna Hellrigl, has opened in Washington, DC.
Embodying the essence of Northern Italy, Ama translates to love in Italian, an element felt across every touchpoint of the space.
An indoor-outdoor café and Genovese-style focacceria by day, Ama transforms into an aperitivo bar over the course of the afternoon and into a restaurant by night.
The design of the all-day concept
Crafted in partnership with local creative studio Swatchroom, Ama was designed as a warm and transportive community destination that celebrates the joyful simplicities of Italian culture.
Hellrigl drew inspiration from the late-19th-century Vienna Secession movement—an artistic style that she’s intimately familiar with from growing up surrounded by furniture and art from her father’s Villa Mozart.
Ama’s dining room juxtaposes the classic Italian warmth of Milanese cafés with the linearity and simplified forms of the Secession.
Venetian plaster, copper accents, and lustrous woods are complemented by personal pieces of original art, flatware, and furniture from Villa Mozart and Palio that Hellrigl collected over the years. Included in this selection are artifacts like brass chandeliers, vases designed by one of the Secession’s founding artists, Josef Hoffman, along with recreations of textiles, banner art, and custom stained-glass mirrors.
Ama’s eco-friendly focus
Ama’s hospitality ethos invests in the wellbeing of its patrons, its community, and the planet.
Every ingredient is sourced with intention, focusing on whole, minimally processed ingredients. An entirely electric kitchen boasts a smaller environmental footprint than a traditional gas restaurant kitchen, while a double catalytic carbon filtration system ensures all water used—from produce washing to consumption—is pure without removing essential minerals.
An internal plate-scraping system utilizes 93 percent less water than a standard restaurant spray nozzle.
Furthermore, Ama is proudly single-use plastic free, with SoFi Products takeaway containers in the café made from BPA-free materials that do not leech microplastics and biodegrade in 180 days. All cleaning is also done using ozonated water and non-toxic cleaners to protect guests and staff.
More from HD:
Xiqué Boutique Hotel Blends With the Natural Surroundings
SIRO One Za’abeel Helps Guests Stay Healthy While Traveling
What I’ve Learned Podcast: Juan Bremer, Xala
