Predalina, Tampa, Florida
At Predalina, the bar is more than a place to order a cocktail. It is one of the restaurant’s defining design moments — a warm, glowing centerpiece that helps set the tone for the entire guest experience.
Located in Tampa’s Water Street district, Predalina is rooted in coastal heritage, Mediterranean flavors, and the life of Predeliana Oliviera, the great-grandmother of owners Blake Casper and Allison Adams. Predalina was inspired by both Tampa’s nearby bustling docks and Predeliana’s life across seaside communities in Brazil, Portugal, and Rhode Island. The restaurant’s spaces, finishes, and indoor-outdoor flow all take cues from those coastal places.
That sense of place became the foundation for the custom brass bar.
A Brass Bar Designed to Anchor the Room
The brass bar was designed to create an immediate feeling of warmth. Brass has a naturally rich quality: it reflects light, develops character over time, and brings a soft glow to a hospitality space without feeling overly polished or cold.
For Predalina, that warmth was essential. The restaurant needed to feel elevated, transportive, and relaxed — a Mediterranean-inspired escape in the middle of Tampa’s Water Street neighborhood.
The brass bar top acts as the visual anchor of the space. It grounds the expansive back bar, balances the height of the shelving, and introduces a material that feels both refined and approachable. In the afternoon, it catches the natural light and feels bright and effortless. In the evening, it becomes moodier and more atmospheric, reflecting the glow of the brass shelving, glassware, and layered lighting around it.
A Mediterranean Bar with Texture, Patina, and Timeless Materials
Predalina’s broader design language leans into Mediterranean architecture through soft arches, natural textures, earthy tones, and materials selected to age beautifully. The AIA Atlanta Design Awards writeup for the project notes that classic and natural materials — including plaster, wood, brass, and stone — were chosen because they would remain timeless while developing a patina with age.
That same idea is central to the brass bar.
Rather than selecting a finish that feels flat or static, brass brings warmth, movement, and character. It changes with light and use, which makes it especially well-suited for a restaurant bar — a place where the experience is constantly in motion.
The brass bar works alongside the surrounding palette of aged brass, natural wood beams, neutral tile, leather seating, glassware, greenery, citrus, and warm lighting. Together, these details create a Mediterranean bar that feels layered, tactile, and alive.
Photo: Michael Kleinberg Photography, Seahorse Restaurant, W Hotels
The Bar as a Hospitality Experience
A successful restaurant bar has to do more than look beautiful. It has to shape how people move, gather, and feel.
At Predalina, the bar creates an immediate focal point when guests enter the space. The long brass surface invites people to sit, order, talk, and linger. The tall brass shelving behind it adds rhythm and height, while the rows of bottles and glassware bring energy and abundance.
The result is a bar that supports the restaurant’s full range of moments: laid-back afternoon drinks, dinner service, date nights, late-night cocktails, and social gatherings. It feels polished enough for a special occasion, but relaxed enough to make guests want to stay awhile.
That balance is key to Mediterranean bar design. The space should feel elevated, but never stiff. It should be beautiful, but still full of warmth. It should feel designed, but not overdone.
The Design Teams Behind Predalina
Predalina’s architecture and interior design have been shaped by a talented team of designers and collaborators, including Smith Dalia Architects, NAINOA Interior Design & Architecture, and Oxford Design Studio.
Smith Dalia Architects describes the project as an exciting addition to Tampa’s Water Street area, inspired by the city’s docks and by the life of Predeliana Oliviera. The firm notes that the restaurant’s spaces, finishes, and seamless indoor-outdoor flow take cues from the seaside communities she called home over her 101 years: Brazil, Portugal, and Rhode Island.
NAINOA describes Predalina as a celebration of coastal heritage and Mediterranean flavors, with a design language built around soft arches, natural textures, an earthy palette, sculptural lighting, lush greenery, and understated elegance.
The AIA Atlanta Design Awards recognized Predalina as a contemporary exploration of Mediterranean cuisine and design, highlighting its use of arches, natural materials, indoor-outdoor flow, and finishes intended to develop patina over time.
The brass bar sits naturally within this design story. It supports the restaurant’s coastal Mediterranean atmosphere while adding a distinct material moment that feels warm, memorable, and central to the guest experience.
A Signature Brass Bar in Tampa’s Water Street District
In a restaurant as visually rich as Predalina, every detail has to contribute to the atmosphere. The brass bar does exactly that.
It brings warmth to the room. It reflects the Mediterranean-inspired palette. It complements the brass shelving, neutral tile, wood beams, and leather stools. It gives the space a natural gathering point. And perhaps most importantly, it helps create the feeling Predalina is known for: energetic, stylish, relaxed, and transportive.
This brass bar is more than a functional surface. It is a storytelling element — one that supports Predalina’s identity as a Mediterranean-inspired escape in the middle of Tampa.
For guests, it is the place where the experience begins: a spritz, a cocktail, a conversation, a golden reflection across the bar top. For the space, it is the anchor that brings the design together.
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