Oficina is a daily canteen, food design studio and shop based in Amsterdam. Founded by Zana Josipovic and Naiara Sabandar, Oficina is guided by a team of cooks and designers who use food as their shared tool for storytelling.
Our Brand Book illuminates the context and inspiration for Oficina.
About Oficina +
Origins +
After having first met in 20XX at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, Zana and Naiara each followed their own interests. Zana studied branding and went on to work at an interior design and architecture firm. She handled the 2D design and concept development for projects in both the hospitality and food-and-beverage industries. Naiara studied fashion management, but diverted from that path to pursue cooking. Although her family owns and operates a restaurant called s’Oficina in Ibiza, she didn’t grow up imagining she’d cook as a profession, yet her love for good food ultimately led her there. Naiara travelled to South Korea to gain more experience from Jeong Kwan, as well as Berlin to work alongside the chefs at Ernst. When she once again settled back in Amsterdam, Naiara started to build the foundation of her own cooking style by focusing on breakfast, lunch and catered meals.
When Naiara started to receive more catering requests from clients in fashion, Zana stepped in to help Naiara shape her brand and realise unique food experiences tailored for other brands. An influx of requests encouraged Naiara and Zana to dream up a space of their own, where people could continually revel in the pair’s taste in food and design. In May of 2021, that space became a reality under the name ‘Oficina,’ as both an ode to the restaurant of Naiara’s family and to show the blend of practices. Oficina, a canteen and office of a design studio, truly brings Naiara’s and Zana’s passions, personalities, and preferences into harmony.
What We Do +
At our canteen, we use our menu to enjoy what each season brings us. We serve a small menu of breakfast and lunch dishes and offer a refined selection of drinks, with a focus on tea from Japan and Taiwan. We also use our canteen for self-initiated events and partnerships. Through our studio, we design dining situations, identities and goods. We take commissions for events and projects that call upon our skills with both food and design.
Being born out of collaboration, Oficina inherently creates by combining, whether that be disciplines, concepts, or inspirations. This lets all that Oficina produces feel classic yet modern. At Oficina, we endeavour to respect purity and proliferate beauty through the union of food and design. A passion for exceptional food and a desire to make unforgettable culinary experiences lives at our core.
Who We Do It For +
The people that come to Oficina appreciate good food and design, no matter the extent of their knowledge on these subjects. We attract local and international guests who are curious to explore our taste. We match their excitement with our enthusiasm to share all that we know and can create. Our love for what we do and our high standards of service aim to establish enduring connections with our guests and clients working in the fields of fashion and beauty. It is through food and the experience of enjoying it that we show we care for others.
Why We Do It +
The canteen is dedicated to bringing people together through food and design. Every element, from our menu to our space, intends to make guests of all generations feel nourished and tranquil. Our studio lets us bring this approach into new settings. We offer our taste in food and design as a way for brands, institutions, and artists to extend a message they wish to convey. If our daily canteen lets us share our own stories, then our food design studio allows us to tell stories of and for others.
How We Do It +
Acknowledge the Season
Adaptable
We engage with what’s best at this moment.
Banish the Superfluous
Practical
We keep it simple and straightforward.
Learn by Doing
Intuitive
We let curiosity guide our practice.
Cherish the Present
Mindful
We act consciously by attending to one matter at a time.
Welcome with Respect
Attentive
We wholly acknowledge our guests, clients and audience.
Visual and Verbal Identity +
Oficina’s style is pure and personal. We are recognized for our use of high-quality materials. Guided by intuition and experience, we minimally modify or methodically present what we select in order to let such materials speak for themselves. All that we create is carefully considered, yet remains practical and not overly precious.
From the verbal to the visual to the edible, the aesthetics of what we communicate are always straightforward and sincere. We act under the principle that less is more. We say and show only what we need to. Our identity displays a high level of professionalism with a witty sense of wonder. The tone we speak in is optimistic and hopeful. We always talk from the perspective of “we” to represent our collaborative practice. We know ourselves well, yet our adaptability and openness to change lets our identity easily evolve. Oficina defines itself as it grows.
The graphic elements of Oficina’s identity are based on the English translation of the name to ‘office,’ therefore we incorporate symbolic cues to objects and tools that can be found in a designated working spaces. These figurative visuals, as well as our photo and video content, are consistently bold and candid.
Taste Identity +
Our food menu consists of four breakfast items (two sweet, two savoury), three lunch dishes, a few sides, and always a cookie and pastry of the day. Seasonal produce is the foundation of what we serve. We make what we ourselves are in the mood to eat. We design our dishes to have dietary flexibility, ensuring that there is something for everyone.
Having been raised by a mom from Spain and a dad from Indonesia, Naiara was accustomed to tasting elements of two different cuisines at once. It has led her to conceive refined dishes like Korean rice cakes with a Basque pil-pil sauce or pancakes with Houjicha mascarpone, maple caramel, and roasted Japanese buckwheat tea. Our food is familiar, yet comes with a twist. The comforting dishes we serve at Oficina carry these types of global influences (especially Japan, South Korea and Mexico) but are mainly European, made mostly with ingredients that come from our surroundings. We like to pay homage to classic flavours, while introducing an unexpected component. With this approach, we give lunch dishes the kind of attention that other restaurants in Amsterdam normally give only to dinner.