Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, a division of Orlando, Fla.-based Darden Restaurants Inc., opened its first-ever location in Alaska on Jan. 23. Situated in Anchorage, the new 7,441-sq.-ft. restaurant seats up to 246 guests and features a design inspired by traditional farmhouses in Tuscany, Italy. The Olive Garden design team worked with Italian architects Fabio and Lucia Zingarelli to create the restaurant design, which features a rustic stone exterior, ceilings supported by exposed wood beams, stone and wood accents throughout, as well as terra cotta tile in the restaurant's interior. In addition, the bar top is crafted from lava stone and hand-painted by artisans in Italy. Vibrant imported fabrics decorate windows and dining seats, while hand-painted plates adorn rustic stone and stucco walls. The restaurant also features a number of sustainable design elements, including recycled building materials, enlarged windows to increase natural light, low-water landscaping and energy-efficient equipment.
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DDI Video Exclusive: Me-Ality Kiosk Canada-based Unique Solutions Ltd. recently developed and debuted the Me-Ality—Measured Reality—kiosk inside North Point Mall in Alpharetta, Ga.
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