Designed by Smita Thomas, BigTop is a farm-totable eatery that fuses sustainability with creativity. Inspired by the circus, it transforms discarded materials into striking art and functional designs.
In the heart of Bengaluru, a new eatery has been designed to provide an extraordinary experience. Welcome to BigTop, a farm-totable restaurant inspired by the spectacle and whimsy of the circus, where every corner echoes with a sense of nostalgia and unbridled creativity. But beyond its playful, vibrant atmosphere lies a deeper, more meaningful message: a bold statement about sustainability, the environment, and the beauty that can emerge from the most unexpected places.
“BigTop isn’t just a restaurant; it’s a tribute to the art of reimagining waste. From its striking exterior to its intricately designed interiors, every element has been meticulously curated using materials salvaged from the city’s waste streams. Less than 10% of the materials were sourced fresh; instead, everything from surface finishes and custom lighting to furniture and art installations comes from a city-wide waste donation drive. Scrap metal, discarded furniture, old bike chains—these seemingly forgotten objects have been given new life, repurposed into a stunning space where nothing is truly trash.” explains Smita Thomas, Principal Designer, Multitude of Sins.
The space itself feels like stepping into a fantasy world. The entrance, adorned with a series of arches crafted from scrap metal and painted in a vibrant teal hue, beckons visitors into a passageway illuminated by grunge chandeliers made from upcycled bike chains and metal filings. Vehicle headlights—once forgotten in a junkyard— now serve as the venue’s luminaires, casting a warm, otherworldly glow on the space.
At the heart of BigTop is its embrace of creative expression. Graced by the artistic community of Bangalore Creative Circus, the restaurant is a canvas where art, color, and texture blend seamlessly into the surroundings. The flooring, for example, isn’t just a simple design choice; it’s an intricate puzzle of discarded display samples, pieced together in a Tetris-inspired fashion. This is a place where even the floor beneath your feet invites you to look closely and appreciate the beauty found in what others might overlook.
The food counter itself serves as a canvas for another eye-catching feature: a wall of discarded wallpaper swatches arranged into a colorful, dynamic patchwork that dances with patterns. But the true masterpiece is the focal wall—a mesmerizing collage of e-waste, sanitary fixtures, and reclaimed furniture that comes together to form a whimsical, oversized jigsaw puzzle. It’s a testament to what can be achieved when creativity meets sustainability, transforming “junk” into a playful work of art.
BigTop is more than a restaurant; it’s an experience. Each table is a story unto itself, with upcycled materials coming together to create functional, sculptural pieces that captivate the senses. Whether you’re sitting at a table made from old doors or surrounded by furniture that looks like it’s been pulled from the imagination of a dreamer, there’s a sense of magic in every corner. It’s a reminder that waste, in the right hands, can become something beautiful and functional—something with a story to tell.
But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of BigTop is its ability to seamlessly merge sustainability with artistic expression. The venue doesn’t just encourage recycling—it celebrates it, showing that the future of design can be as inventive and artistic as it is environmentally conscious.
BigTop’s ethos is clear: it’s a space for the misfits, the oddballs, the unconventional thinkers—those who dare to see potential in the things others discard. It’s a space where the creative spirit runs wild, and where waste, instead of being buried, is given new life in the form of art, design, and utility. It’s a reminder that the world is full of treasures waiting to be rediscovered and repurposed, and that, sometimes, the most beautiful things are born from the most unlikely places.
As you sit down to enjoy a delicious farm-to-table meal at BigTop, take a moment to appreciate the creativity, the sustainability, and the thoughtfulness that went into every corner of this remarkable space. After all, this is a place where waste doesn’t just go to die—it’s given a second chance to shine.
BigTop isn’t just a beacon of environmental consciousness; it’s a testament to the power of imagination and the art of seeing beauty in the unexpected. Collaborators/Artists: Mechanimal: Rahul KP (Metal Art); Layer Tape: Nithin Sadhu (Light and Tape art); Rahul Chacko (Graphic Artist); Shunnal Ligade (Wall Art and Graffiti Artist) and Kamesh Bhagatji (Furniture Art)
Photography Credit – Ishita Sitwala
