In the 1950s, this old brick building in the northeastern Italian city of Udine served as both a gas station and a short-term motel for weary travelers who needed to take a nap after a long trip. As motoring culture evolved, so did the purpose of the space. It was converted into a garage and a car wash over the ensuing decades, until the local creative agency Visual Display got a hold of it and transformed it into its current incarnation: a hip hangout for the modern motorcycle enthusiast.

The workshop, which performs repair and customization services and also produces FSM brand motorcycles, is the heart of the business, enclosed in a kind of room within a room. It?s flanked by both the osteria, which itself offers simple, seasonal foods and local wines, and the concept store. Outside, café tables line the painstakingly restored facade, and of course, there’s plenty of parking for motorcycles. How could anyone biking through this part of Italy resist a stop here" With a name like “Filling Station Motel,” you might expect this space to still offer beds like it did in the old days. Alas, that’s no longer the case. The name is more of a nostalgic tribute to the past, but this adaptation does preserve the spirit of the original structure ? along with most of its architecture.

“Starting again is better on a motorcycle,” say the designers, adding: ?beyond the entrance gate, underneath wide concrete arches painted in black, the worksho...