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      Tate Modern’s Corner cafe revamped to be less “Herzog & de Meuron-y”

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      Architecture studio Holland Harvey has overhauled the ground-floor cafe at the Tate Modern in London so it doubles as the gallery’s first late-night bar.

      Tucked away in the museum’s northwest corner, the interior of the Corner cafe was originally designed in 2000 when Herzog & de Meuron created a home for the UK’s national collection of modern art inside the disused power station on the Southbank.
      Corner is a new cafe and bar at the Tate ModenSince then, the Tate had made no changes to the space until Holland Harvey was brought on board to refresh the interior at the start of 2022.
      “It was quite a cold space,” the studio’s co-founder Richard Holland told Dezeen. “All very Herzog & de Meuron-y.”
      “They’re amazing at what they do in so many ways,” he continued. “But this was not their best food and beverage space.”

      A grey stone bar forms the centrepiece of the roomHolland Harvey stripped back many of the cafe’s hard, reflective finishes, sanding away the black gloss paint on the floors to reveal the parquet underneath and removing the mirrored glass that Herzog & de Meuron had used to enclose the building’s original riveted columns.
      Fluorescent lights were replaced with more muted spots by London studio There’s Light, while the dropped ceiling above the bar was rounded off and covered in foam insulation to soften the interior – both visually and acoustically.
      Otherwise, many of the cafe’s core elements including the servicing as well as the kitchen and toilets remained largely untouched to prevent excessive waste and maintain the integrity of the building.
      “You don’t really want to mess around with the servicing because 12 feet above your head is a Picasso,” Holland said. “So it was pretty light touch.”
      The cafe backs onto the Tate’s Turbine Hall. Photo by Edward BishopThe biggest intervention came in the form of a newly added riverside entrance, allowing passersby to stroll straight into Corner rather than having to take the long way through the gallery.
      At the other end of the open-plan room, a door leads directly into Tate’s famous Turbine Hall, effectively linking it with the public spaces of the Southbank.
      Stone seating banquettes double as impromptu climbing frames”The Turbine Hall is one of the most successful public spaces in London,” Holland said. “It’s one of the few indoor places you can go, where people happily sit down on the floor in the middle of the day.”
      “And obviously, the Southbank is an amazing public offering as well,” he continued. “So this felt like an opportunity to connect the two, which led a lot of the thinking around the design.”
      With the idea of extending the public realm, many of the newly added pieces are robust and fixed in place, much like street furniture. Among them are the double-sided Vicenza Stone banquettes, which can also serve as impromptu climbing frames for young children.

      UXUS designs “permanently temporary” gift shop for Herzog & de Meuron’s extended Tate Modern

      Holland Harvey created a number of other seating areas throughout Corner to suit different accessibility needs, with a focus on supporting local manufacturers and small businesses while reducing waste wherever possible.
      Corner’s long sharing tables and benches were made by marginalised young people from west London as part of a carpentry apprenticeship programme run by social enterprise Goldfinger, using trees that were felled by local authorities to stop the spread of ash dieback.
      “Every table has the coordinates of where the tree has felled on it, so there’s a provenance to the furniture,” Holland said.
      The chairs were taken from Tate’s own storage and refinishedThe chairs, meanwhile, were salvaged from the gallery’s own storage before being refinished and reupholstered, while the smaller tables were made by Brighton company Spared using waste coffee grounds from Tate’s other cafes.
      These were baked at a low temperature to remove any moisture before being mixed with oyster shells and a water-based gypsum binder.
      Although the resulting pieces aren’t fully circular since they can’t be recycled, Holland hopes they tell a story about the value that can be found in waste.
      Waste coffee grounds from the gallery’s other cafes were turned into table tops”We’re by no means saying that it’s an exemplar project in that sense,” he explained. “We were just trying to find opportunities to tell stories through all the different elements rather than just going to the large corporate suppliers.”
      “And that’s really our wider impact: people realising that there’s a different way to procure a table. Imagine if all of Tate’s furniture moving forward is made by Goldfinger,” he continued.
      The cafe also has high counter seating for remote workingIn the evenings, the space can be transitioned into a bar and events space by switching to warmer, higher-contrast lighting, while a section of the central banquette can be turned into a raised DJ booth by pressing a button that is hidden under the cushions.
      “This place can get quite wild in the evening,” Holland said.
      Timber shelves are used to display productsThe last significant amendment to the Tate Modern building was Herzog & de Meuron’s Switch House extension, which opened to the public in 2016.
      The building contains a gift shop designed by Amsterdam studio UXUS, alongside various galleries and a viewing level on the top floor, which is currently closed to the public after Tate lost a high-profile privacy lawsuit brought by the inhabitants of a neighbouring residential tower.
      The photography is by Jack Hobhouse unless otherwise stated.

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      Marcante-Testa blends “unique characteristics of Venetian identity” for Ca’ Select bar and distillery

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      Italian studio Marcante-Testa has turned an industrial building in Venice into the canal-side Ca’ Select bar, visitor centre and production facility.

      Set alongside a small canal in the Cannareggio district of Venice, the bar and distillery belong to the company behind Select Aperitivo – the main ingredient of a Venetian Spritz.
      Ca’ Select bar is located on a canal in Venice”The history of Select is closely tied to that of Venice, where the brand was founded in 1920,” said Marcante-Testa.
      “Starting from this awareness, the mother company Gruppo Montenegro commissioned the architects Andrea Marcante and Adelaide Testa to formulate a reinterpretation of the unique characteristics of Venetian identity, reviving one aspect of the city’s past.”
      The space includes a Select Aperitivo barMarcante-Testa led the conversion of the former metal workshop into a bar and events space, spanning 690 square metres. Throughout the bar and production spaces, glass and ceramic details were chosen to highlight traditional Venetian crafts.

      The elongated space was split linearly into three zones, with the bar placed at the front of the building so it can be accessed from the canal by a corridor clad in white and red Zellige tiles made by Mosaic Factory.
      The bar is wrapped in blue wavy glassAt the centre of the space is a freestanding bar wrapped in blue wavy glass “in the Murano tradition”, created by the Wonderglass company to recall the waves of the nearby lagoon.
      The space features three handmade mosaics made from tiles fired in the historic Fornace Orsoni and informed by the sketches of Spanish designer Mariano Fortuny, who was a long-term resident of Venice.

      Cocktail bar “suspended between sea and sky” draws upon nearby Mediterranean

      Venetian seminato terrazzo flooring with red glass and blue sodalite marble inlays was used to unify the spaces, running from the entrance through the bar to the production area.
      Separated from the bar by a large curtain is a seating area furnished with steel-framed sofas alongside armchairs upholstered in reds and pinks as a nod to the aperitivo’s colour. This area will also be used as an events space.
      An events space is located next to the barThe event space has views through a red-tinted glass wall to the production facility at the rear of the building.
      Here, the maceration of the herbs and spices used to make the distinctive aperitivo takes place.
      The distillery is separated from the public areas by a glass wallThe final space in Select Aperitivo’s building is nestled above the entrance corridor. Accessed by steps to the side of the entrance is a small visitor centre with exhibits curated by Turin-based Studio Fludd.
      It contains seating and exhibits that aim to tell the story of the aperitivo brand, which was established in 1920.
      An exhibition space is located above the entranceSelect Aperitivo hopes that the bar and visitor centre will continue to reinforce the brand’s historic links to the city.
      “Ca’ Select represents a fundamental step in our multi-year plan to consolidate the brand and aims to strengthen the link with the city of origin,” said Marco Ferrari, CEO of Gruppo Montenegro, which owns the brand.
      “It is no coincidence that we have decided to bring the heart of Select’s production here, to enhance the local culture starting with the valuable architectural elements that enrich the space.”
      The building also houses a Select Aperitivo production facilityOther recently completed bars that have been featured on Dezeen include a brewery in a former Copenhagen slaughterhouse and a bar in Calgary topped with plywood barrel vaults.
      Project credits:
      Architectural project: Marcante-TestaInterior design project: Marcante-TestaProject and content management: Mindthegap StudioPlants and facilities design: Pgs Ingegneria – Studio AssociatoContent of the exhibition design: Studio FluddProduction coordination and executive production: Epica filmVisual identity project: Studio FluddBuilding works director: Valter Camagna, Andrea marcanteLocal architect: Stefano RomagnaProject manager: Roberta MiniciSafety manager and coordinator: Sebastiano CibienBuilding construction: Steelwood EngineeringPlant engineering work: Gruppo Frassati, Vem SistemiSet-up arrangements: Steelwood Rngineering, Gruppo Frassati, Amap, WonderglassLight design: Marcante-Testa with FlosDecorative lighting supplier: FortunyTechnical lighting supplier: FlosSystem integrator: Acuson, Red Group

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      Michael Groth uses natural and recycled materials inside New York’s Donna restaurant

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      New York designer Michael Groth collaborated with a Moroccan artisan cooperative to create the wall hangings for this worker-owned bar and restaurant in the West Village.

      The opening of Donna’s new location on Cornelia Street follows the closure of its Williamsburg spot in December 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
      Michael Groth has designed the new Donna outpost in New YorkServing a pan-Latin menu with Mediterranean influences and Filipino-inspired cocktails, the restaurant and bar is now a worker-owned cooperative, with original owner Leif Young Huckman acting as an advisor.
      To reflect this shift, Brooklyn-based Groth aimed to imbue the design of the new outpost with references to the previous location while nodding to Donna’s revised business model.
      Earth-toned limewash plaster was applied to the walls in geometric patternsHe drew influences from the constructivist art movements of Latin America in the 20th century and particularly the work of artists Sandu Darie, Pedro Alvarez and Lygia Clark.

      Donna is decorated with earth-toned limewash plaster, applied to the walls in geometric patterns that echo the brand’s visual identity.
      Groth created wall hangings in collaboration with artisan cooperative The AnouExposed brickwork is painted white, forming a plain backdrop for the circular wool wall hangings that Groth created in collaboration with Moroccan artisan cooperative The Anou.
      Together with wool floor rugs, these help to dampen the acoustics while lime plaster assists in regulating humidity, according to Groth.

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      The tables are crafted from reclaimed Douglas fir flooring and stained plywood was used to build the banquette seating that wraps the perimeter.
      Bar-back shelving and floors were repurposed from the unit’s previous tenant, while the bar tops were fabricated by Brooklyn Stone and Tile – another worker-owned cooperative.
      Tables are crafted from reclaimed Douglas fir”The use of any new materials was limited to those that are natural and biodegradable, keeping in mind the holistic effects of resource extraction, human health and equity, and circular material cycles,” the Donna team said.
      Pendants lights above the bar have shades made from mushroom mycelium, which according to the team presents “an environmentally holistic approach to material creation that poetically reflects Donna’s equitable business model”.
      The pendant lights above the bar feature mycelium shadesNew York City’s dining scene was upheaved during the pandemic, with many eating and drinking establishments forced to either adapt or shutter.
      As a result, sidewalk dining shelters sprung up across the city, as documented in these photographs by John Tymkiw.
      The photography is by Nicholas Ruiz.

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      Kelly Wearstler adds pattern-filled bar to Austin Proper Hotel

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      American designer Kelly Wearstler has created an intimate cocktail lounge within a hotel she designed in Austin, Texas, which is intended to evoke “a balance between old-world opulence and modern elegance”.

      The Quill Room forms an extension to the existing dining and drinking options at the Austin Proper Hotel and Residences, which Wearstler completed the interiors for in 2019.
      The Quill Room offers hotel guests and residents an additional lounge and bar spaceThe lounge is tucked away on the second floor of the Handel Architects-designed building in Downtown Austin, and offers a French-inspired menu and live music programming for the hotel’s guests and residents.
      Wearstler’s interiors for the bar are awash with pattern, mixing gold, brown and black to create a space that appears warm, rich and elevated.
      A variety of vintage and contemporary chairs populate the spaceMany of the design elements blend nostalgia and contemporary twists, like tufted leather armchairs positioned beside funky sculptural lamps.

      “The design of The Quill Room is a balance between old-world opulence and modern elegance,” she told Dezeen. “The salon-style bar pairs the aesthetics to transport guests to another time within Downtown Austin, while still reflecting the city’s creative and music scenes.”
      Golden patterned wallpaper covers the wallsGolden patterned wallpaper covers the majority of the walls and continues across the ceiling, helping to make the room feel more intimate.
      “A highlight would have to be the gold wall covering,” said Wearstler. “It’s actually an adaptation of a piece from my own archive, originally created during the UK’s 1920s Arts & Crafts movement.”
      Within niches, folded screens feature a checkerboard of gold mirrorSmall tables and mismatched seats are positioned in recesses, against folding panels with a checkerboard of gold mirrors and floral motifs within wooden frames.
      Wearstler’ also included low leather and upholstered seats, as well as taller dining chairs along the sheer-curtained windows.
      Furniture pieces were sourced from Europe and a famous Texas antiques marketMost of the furniture pieces are vintage, or were crafted specifically for this project, including the rugs, lighting and additional decorative items.
      “The Quill Room features a lot of inspired furnishings that represent design through the decades – mainly from the 1960s to 1990s – which we’ve sourced from Europe and as nearby as the famed Round Top Antiques Market,” Wearstler said.

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      The bar itself runs straight along the back wall, fronting an open cabinet filled with liquor bottles that is topped with red neon tubes. “It’s a detail crafted by an Austin artist, bringing the modern and the local to the forefront amongst the vintage-inspired,” said Wearstler.
      Another feature element is the illuminated, self-playing Edelweiss piano that was custom designed to offer “a uniquely Texan experience” for guests. There’s also a small, shaded outdoor terrace for enjoying drinks and bites in the warm Austin weather.
      An illuminated, self-playing Edelweiss piano was custom designed to entertain guestsThe new space joins the hotel’s Mediterranean-influenced restaurant The Peacock, private ground-floor cocktail bar Goldie’s, and Mexican-inspired rooftop restaurant and bar La Piscina.
      “I see The Quill Room as a complement to The Austin Proper’s existing restaurants and bars,” Wearstler said. “Like the rest of the property, it embodies modern elegance and refined luxury that heightens guests’ experience of the city while offering an immersive escape.”
      The Quill Room serves cocktails and French-inspired light bitesWearstler has completed multiple locations for the Proper hotel group, including several outposts in her home state of California, such as San Francisco and Santa Monica – which was named AHEAD Americas Hotel of the Year in 2020.
      Her most recent project for the franchise, in Downtown LA, opened last year and features a suite with its own indoor swimming pool.
      The photography is by The Ingalls.

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      Eight cherry red interiors that make colour their primary focus

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      For our latest lookbook, we’ve picked eight interiors that are blanketed in shades of red that include an office in Belgium, a bar toilet in London and a mansion in Mexico.

      The colour red is most commonly associated with activity, passion, sexuality, love and joy. In this lookbook Dezeen has highlighted ways in which interior designers and architects have used the colour in different interior settings.
      Red terracotta tiles cover the interior of a home in Barcelona and red-tinted glass creates a glowy magma-like hue within the interior of a home located at the base of a volcano.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring terraces and balconies, marble-lined bathrooms and cave-like interiors.
      Photo by Knut BryBarn House, Norway, by Jon Danielsen Aarhus 

      Oslo based-architect Jon Danielsen Aarhus designed a gabled shed that sits on the grounds of a retired couple’s home in Lillehammer, Norway, which is used for painting, sculpting, craft and as additional living space.
      The entrance hall of the gabled shed was covered entirely in red, including its window frames. The colour was chosen specifically to contrast against the structure’s raw timber exterior.
      Find out more about Barn House ›
      Photo by Hannelore VeelaertAEtelier office, Belgium, by Studio Anton Hendrik Denys
      In Belgium, Studio Anton Hendrik Denys and Steen Architecten transformed an industrial office building and added colourful graphics and bold hues to define areas across the interior.
      The kitchen-cum-bar of the office was blanketed in an orangey-red hue, including its floor, walls, ceiling, fixtures and furnishings, which signifies and zones areas of the interior without the need for partition walls.
      Find out more about AEtelier office ›
      Photo by Tim Van de VeldeSocial House, Brussels, by WAW Architects
      A vibrant red covers cabinet doors, drawers, floors, walls and the ceiling of a shared staff kitchen at a social services centre in Brussels, which was designed by WAW Architects.
      The centre is located within a former orphanage and was converted into offices by the architecture studio. Bright hues were used throughout the interior to colour code the office space with red extending from a kitchen to an adjoining corridor.
      Find out more about Social House ›
      Photo is by Felix SpellerSOMA, UK, by Cake Architecture and Max Radford
      Located within a basement in London’s Soho, speakeasy-style bar SOMA was designed by Cake Architecture and Max Radford.
      The restroom of the underground bar was painted bright red and paired with wooden fixtures and trimmings that were used to surround doorframes and recessed shelving in each of the cubicles.
      Find out more about SOMA ›
      Photo is by José HeviaHouse in Sant Antoni de Vilamjor, Spain, by Arquitectura-G
      Red was used as a running theme across this family home on the outskirts of Barcelona. It was designed by local studio Arquitectura-G and sits directly on top of a pre-existing garage.
      Red features both inside and outdoors with many materials used across the exterior similarly used to decorate the interior, such as red bricks, red corrugated panelling and clay tiles.
      Find out more about House in Sant Antoni de Vilamjor ›
      Photo is by Genevieve LutkinCollective/Collectible, Mexico, by Masa
      Rich tones of red blanket the walls and floors of this abandoned mansion in the Lomas neighbourhood of Mexico City, which was used as the setting for an exhibition by gallerist Masa.
      The 1970s home was decorated with furniture designed by 16 Mexico City-based designers and architects, including Esrawe, EWE Studio and Frida Escobedo. The interior features a grand staircase that was topped with a red runner.
      Find out more about Collective/Collectible ›
      Photo is by Joe FletcherLookout House, US, by Faulkner Architects
      Although this room has no physical red elements Lookout House was fitted with red-tinted glass that provides the interior with a glowing red hue when light penetrates through the home.
      The home is located in Truckee, California at the foot of Lookout Mountain volcano. It was designed by Faulkner Architects who wanted to mimic the colour of cooling magma within the home.
      Find out more about Lookout House ›

      Fox Head Inc, US, by Clive Wilkinson Architects
      A bright red interior was selected as a focal feature for the offices of a motocross apparel company in California. The headquarters was designed by Clive Wilkinson Architects which transformed a 7,600-square-metre warehouse into a flexible workplace.
      A conference room at the headquarters was enclosed with red-tinted glass and fitted with a deep red carpet. A large white table and matching chairs, which have a bright red upholstered seat, were placed at the centre of the space.
      Find out more about Fox Head Inc office ›
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring terraces and balconies, marble-lined bathrooms and cave-like interiors.

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      Studio North adds plywood barrel vaults to Business & Pleasure bar in Calgary

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      A barrel-vaulted ceiling covers this cosy cocktail bar in Calgary, Alberta which locally based Studio North designed as a contemporary take on a speakeasy.

      Business & Pleasure is tucked away between historic brick buildings on a back lane in the Canadian city’s Inglewood neighbourhood, just a few blocks from Studio North’s office space.
      A vaulted plywood ceiling contrasts with the black interior of the bar”The location and scale of the Business & Pleasure bar space immediately reference visions of the iconically intimate and secluded speakeasy from last century,” said lead designers Damon Hayes Couture and Hayden Pattullo.
      “However, this transformation sought to recreate the speakeasy’s quaint and classic qualities using contemporary methods of parametric design, digital fabrication, and material experimentation.”
      The fir plywood is CNC cut to allow it to bendHidden at the back of a cafe, Studio North’s take on prohibition-era drinking establishments features a dark interior, with many of the furniture pieces and surfaces in black.

      In contrast, fir plywood is shaped into barrel vaults of different widths that run the length of the narrow 350-square-foot (32.5-square-metre) space.
      Vaults of different widths run the length the ceilingThe material is kerfed to allow it to bend, forming a cut-out pattern that adds a translucent quality to the wood.
      “Like clouds, the geometry and pattern vary slightly throughout the room to create unique areas and experiences of moving through it,” said Studio North.
      Paper lanterns hang from the wood vaults, which are suspended from steel ribsThe vaults are suspended from a series of steel ribs, and some panels are held in place with magnets – a system that Studio North prototyped at 1:1 scale and built in-house.
      Parametric modelling and computer numerically controlled (CNC) cutting were used to produce the desired effect.

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      “The pattern of the ceiling kerfing changes using a parametric image map to add and subtract bridge tabs, creating more grid interruption around the seated areas,” the designers said.
      In places, the plywood extends down from the ceiling onto the walls, forming panels that touch the tabletops and shelving in recesses.
      A custom black barn door separates the bar from a cafe at the frontThe same material forms a custom barn door separating the cafe from the bar, which is painted black and allows guests a peek at the back space through the thin vertical gaps.
      Globe-shaped paper lanterns hand from the ceiling to bathe the space in a warm, ambient glow.
      The bar is designed to evoke speakeasies from a century agoArtworks and a selection of vintage items are displayed on the walls and shelves, connecting the contemporary interior to the heyday of speakeasies.
      Studio North is a design-build studio that more commonly works on residential projects, such as a laneway house in Calgary that the team outfitted with a dog nook and a fireman’s pole.
      The photography is by Hayden Pattullo and Damon Hayes Couture.

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      Plantea Estudio creates cosy cave-like room within bar Gota

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      A red “cave” hides behind the main dining space of this wine and small plates bar in Madrid designed by interiors studio Plantea Estudio.

      Located on the ground floor of a neoclassical building in Madrid’s buzzy Justicia neighbourhood, Plantea Estudio designed Gota to appear “dark, stony and secluded”.
      Gota sits on the ground floor of a neoclassical building in the Justicia neighbourhoodGuests ring a bell to enter the 70-square-metre bar, and are then welcomed into a dining room enclosed by thickset granite ashlar walls. While some of the walls were left exposed, others have been smoothly plastered over and washed with grey lime paint.
      The floor was overlaid with black volcanic stone tiles that the studio thought were suggestive of a “newly discovered terrain”.
      A counter in the first dining space is inbuilt with a record playerA bench seat runs down the left-hand side of the bar, accompanied by lustrous aluminium tables and square birchwood stools from Danish design brand Frama.

      Guests can alternatively perch on high stools at the peripheries of the room, where lies a slender stone ledge for drinks to be set down on.
      Shelving displays wine bottles, vinyls, and other objectsMore seating was created around a bespoke chestnut counter at the room’s centre; its surfacetop has an in-built turntable on which the Gota team plays a curated selection of music.
      Behind the counter is a storage wall where wine bottles, vintage vinyl records and other music-related paraphernalia are displayed.
      A cave-like dining room hides at the bar’s rearAn open doorway takes guests down a short corridor to a secondary cave-like dining space, which boasts a dramatic vaulted ceiling and craggy brick walls. It has been almost entirely painted red.
      “It’s relatively common to find this kind of vaulted brick space in the basements of old buildings in Madrid – this case was special because it’s on the ground floor with small openings to a garden,” the studio told Dezeen.

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      “It was perfect for a more quiet and private area of the bar,” it continued.
      “The red colour is an abstract reference to the brick of which the cave is really made, and also a reference to wine.”
      The space is arranged around a huge granite tableAt the room’s heart is a huge 10-centimetre-thick granite table that’s meant to look as if it has “been there forever”, surrounded by aluminium chairs also from Frama. Smaller birch tables and chairs custom-designed by the studio have been tucked into the rooms corners.
      To enhance the cosy, intimate feel of the bar, lighting has been kept to a minimum – there are a handful of candles, reclaimed sconces and an alabaster lamp by Spanish brand Santa & Cole.
      Red paint covers the space’s vaulted ceiling and brick wallsEstablished in 2008, Plantea Estudio is responsible for a number of hospitality projects in Madrid.
      Others include Hermosilla, a Mediterranean restaurant decked out in earthy tones, and Sala Equis, a multi-purpose entertainment space that occupies a former erotic cinema.
      The photography is by Salva López.

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      Pihlmann Architects creates sleek brewery in former Copenhagen slaughterhouse

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      Bulbous steel tanks hang from where carcasses used to be suspended at the ÅBEN brewery in Copenhagen, which local studio Pihlmann Architects transformed from a slaughterhouse into a restaurant and bar.

      Located in Copenhagen’s Meatpacking District, the brewery is housed in a 1932 butchery that has been used for various commercial activities since the early 1990s.
      Visitors enter ÅBEN through the building’s original blue-rimmed doorsPihlmann Architects maintained and restored many of the slaughterhouse’s original features as part of the renovation for Danish beer company ÅBEN.
      “Turning the space back into a food production facility, with all the pragmatic measures we had to keep in mind, generated our ideas from the very beginning,” studio founder Søren Pihlmann told Dezeen. “Bringing back the authentic character of the space was key.”
      Conical steel fermentation vessels were suspended where carcasses used to hangArranged across one open-plan level, the brewery features the original gridded rail system from which 980 carcasses used to hang when the space was a slaughterhouse.

      Pihlmann Architects replaced the carcasses with conical fermentation tanks that are reached via a low-hanging galvanised steel walkway – also suspended from the listed building’s original sawtooth roof.
      Pihlmann Architects was led by the building’s industrial historyGeometric clusters of white wall tiles that have been preserved since the 1930s were also kept in place, echoing the brewery’s original purpose.
      “Bringing the key elements back to a worthy condition was more of a task than deciding on which [elements] to keep,” noted Pihlmann.
      Semitransparent curtains divide spaces and control acousticsSpaces are delineated by slaughterhouse-style semitransparent curtains, which cloak various dining areas that are positioned around the restaurant’s central open kitchen where visitors can experience the brewing process up close.
      Furniture was kept simple and “unfussy” in order to emphasise the restaurant’s industrial elements, including angular chairs and bar stools finished in aluminium and wood.
      “The [material and colour] palettes are true to function on the one hand and [true to] history on the other,” said Pihlmann.

      Crimson red flooring runs throughout the brewery, which was in place when the building was purchased. It was maintained to add warmth to the otherwise clinical interiors.
      At night, the restaurant’s electric light absorbs this colour and reflects from the fermentation tanks, creating a more intimate environment.
      A central open kitchen is flanked by bar stoolsMaking the food production processes visible was at the core of the design concept, according to the architecture studio.
      “It’s not only about the preparation of the food, it’s more about the brewing taking place,” continued Pihlmann.
      “The space which produces thousands of litres every day is open for everyone to step into, and actually see how and where the product they consume is produced.”

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      “Today, we are so detached from what we consume, we just go to the supermarket and pick it up from the cold counter having no clue where it’s coming from,” he added.
      “I’m not that naive to think that ÅBEN alone will change anything, but I’m convinced that it’s important to change this detachment.”
      The slaughterhouse’s original white tiles were preservedPihlmann described his favourite aspect of the project as “how the elements we’ve added both submit to and utilise the existing space, not just visually but also through their structural function”.
      “The building is built to carry a huge load,” he reflected. “Back then, it was tonnes of dead meat. Today, it’s enormous serving tanks from the ceiling.”
      Founded in 2021, Pihlmann Architects was included in our list of 15 up-and-coming Copenhagen architecture studios compiled to mark the city being named UNESCO-UIA World Capital of Architecture for 2023.
      Previous slaughterhouse conversions include a training school for chefs in Spain that was once used to butcher meat and a cultural centre in Portugal that is currently being developed by Kengo Kuma and OODA.
      The photography is by Hampus Berndtson.

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