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      Studio Plenty designs Light Years diner in Byron Bay to feel like “a warm hug”

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      Asian diner chain Light Years has renovated its restaurant in the Australian surf town of Byron Bay, with interiors conceived by local practice Studio Plenty in collaboration with home-grown artists and designers.

      The team behind Light Years wanted its flagship eatery to mirror the playful visual identity established across its three other venues on Australia’s East Coast while refining and elevating their aesthetic.
      Studio Plenty has renovated the Light Years diner in Byron Bay”We were asked to reimagine the Byron Bay restaurant, taking cues from its sister diners but with greater restraint in composition,” Studio Plenty founder Will Rathgeber told Dezeen.
      “We were looking to achieve something refined without letting go of the relaxed culture behind the brand, with satisfying colours and patterns, and playful shapes and materials.”
      Terracotta tiles were used to finish the walls and floorsSoft corners and gently curving walls help to create a sense of intimacy, according to Rathgeber, while the restaurant’s colour palette of soft pink and terracotta tones “embraces you like a warm hug”.

      Underpinning the playful feel of the eatery is a careful focus on the practicalities, with arched openings and material thresholds helping to define three distinct spaces – the main dining room, a curved bar with counter seating and a private dining area for larger groups.
      Arched openings separate the restaurant’s different dining areasThe restaurant’s material palette incorporates handmade terracotta tiles with a rustic brushed finish and a rusty colour that is also picked up in the restaurant’s floors and the Fibonacci terrazzo bar counter.
      In the main dining room, the ceiling was treated with an acoustic spray to absorb sound while contributing to the earthy, vernacular look of the diner thanks to its bumpy texture.
      Rattan acoustic panels cover the ceiling near the entranceSince the acoustic spray does not adhere to pipes, Studio Plenty specified a motorbike exhaust wrap for the pipes to achieve a harmonious ceiling plane.
      In the bar area, ceilings are clad in rattan acoustic panels by local product designer and interior stylist Sarah Ellison, who also worked with Studio Plenty to design the restaurant’s custom furniture including the chunky tables and bistro-style chairs.

      Eight earthy kitchens where terracotta tiles add warmth and tactility

      Artist collective Studio of the Sun created two colourful murals for the restaurant, with one featuring playful illustrations laser-printed onto a section of glossy white tiles.
      “The client was committed to a locally focussed project, hence approaching Studio Plenty to design the restaurant and Sarah Ellison and Studio of the Sun to collaborate,” said Rathgeber.
      A curved terrazzo bar provides counter seatingRathgeber founded his Byron Bay practice in 2020 after cutting his teeth working for architecture firms Woods Bagot and Jackson Clements Burrows in Melbourne.
      “We believe happiness is achieved through sensible design, not excess,” he explained of his studio’s ethos. “We have an appetite for rational design and an obsession with functionalism.”
      The private dining area is defined by a Studio of the Sun artworkElsewhere in Byron Bay’s bustling bar and restaurant scene, Australian studio Pattern has designed the interiors for an eatery serving South America-style small plates and cocktails.
      Its patchy grey surfaces and concrete fixtures were designed to reflect the “raw beauty” of late-night eateries in Mexico.
      The photography is by Jessie Prince.

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      Prada opens Milanese-informed cafe at Harrods

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      Fashion house Prada has opened the Prada Caffè in luxury department store Harrods, which has an interior that is blanketed in the brand’s signature green hue and mirrors one of Milan’s oldest patisseries.

      Located at the corner of Hans Road in London, the Prada Caffè is accessed via a mint green latticed storefront that complements Harrods’s Edwardian baroque terracotta facade.
      Prada Caffè is located in HarrodsThe interior of the pop-up cafe draws on the interior of Pasticceria Marchesi, a Milanese patisserie that opened in 1824, which has similar pale-green interiors that are paired with green velvet-upholstered soft furnishings.
      At Prada Caffè, the walls, ceilings and furniture – including booth seating, plush armchairs and architectural elements – were hued in a minty green referred to as Prada green, a colour that has become synonymous with the brand.
      It was decorated in Prada’s signature green colourA large marble countertop, decorated with textural, pebbled panelling at its base, is located at the entrance to the cafe and used to display Prada-branded patisseries that are presented like individual pieces of jewellery.

      The floors of the space were clad in black and white-checkered floor tiles in a nod to the floors of the Prada boutique located in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
      The interior referenced Prada stores and a Milanese patisserieFloral reliefs and mouldings cover the walls and ceilings of the cafe, which the brand explained aims to evoke the look of Prada stores worldwide.
      A mezzanine level, supported by green columns, is decorated with bowed balustrades and used as an elevated seating area overlooking the marble-wrapped patisserie counter.

      Ola Jachymiak Studio brightens Beam cafe in London with orange hues

      At the rear of the cafe, a secluded room continues the interior scheme. Here, green velvet booth seating surrounds the perimeter of the space beneath decorative floral relief walls.
      Tableware was selected specifically for the cafe and ranges from blue-hued Japanese porcelain, informed by ancient Celadon pottery and decorated with contrasting black lines, to blown-glass crystalware.
      A checkered floor runs through the cafeTo accompany the blown glassware and duck egg blue porcelain, silverware was engraved with Prada branding and features handle ends that are shaped like the brand’s triangular logo.
      The cafe will remain at Harrods until January 2024.
      Furniture was upholstered in velvetDuring Milan Fashion Week, Prada presented its Autumn Winter 2023 collection in the Deposito of the Fondazione Prada, which featured a moving and retractable ceiling.
      Elsewhere in London, Ola Jachymiak Studio brightened a cafe in Notting Hill incorporating terracotta-tile floors and tangerine-hued walls.
      The photography is courtesy of Prada.

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      Linehouse creates tactile restaurant with “Mediterranean soul” in Shanghai

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      Design studio Linehouse has used natural, tactile materials for the interiors of the Coast restaurant in Shanghai for China’s casual dining brand Gaga.

      The restaurant is set inside a traditional mid-century Shikumen house – a blend of Western and Chinese architecture – with a renovated interior informed by its Mediterranean menu.
      “We aimed to create a deep connection with coastal elements and Mediterranean soul,” said Linehouse co-founder Alex Mok.
      Linehouse has completed the Coast restaurant in ShanghaiAccording to the studio, the restaurant’s aesthetic is one of “refined rusticity” – a contemporary reframing of rough-hewn vernacular styles, that creates a laid-back and tranquil atmosphere.
      Throughout the scheme, Linehouse was informed by the idea of coastal terrain, including earthy and fired elements.

      Linehouse chose a natural material palette, which in turn informed the colour scheme that flows throughout the interior of the three-storey restaurant.
      Green-glazed lava stone surrounds the ground-floor cafe and barThe aim was to take the visitor on a “vertical journey” by giving each of the three floors its own unique identity.
      “The colours and materials shift on each floor, telling a different part of the story,” Mok said.
      The bar is finished in the same tilesOn the ground floor, where a daytime cafe transitions into an evening bar, green and earthy tones link to the leafy garden beyond. Walls are wrapped in a green-glazed lava stone, with a deliberately hand-made patina, “representing the earth element”.
      Custom furniture pieces designed by Linehouse were used throughout the restaurant, while lighting was chosen for its intriguing, sculptural forms from designers including Santa & Cole and Studio KAE.
      Natural timbers were used for the centrepiece bar counter, while the timber-framed windows open up to the silver-grey of the olive trees outside.
      An open-hearth grill features on the first floorAbove this on the first floor is an intimate dining space lined with white-washed stone and timber panelling. Layered oak panels hung horizontally from the ceiling create intimate dining nooks, with taupe-toned banquette sofas and oak dining tables.
      The focal point of this room is the parrilla – an open-hearth grill – and a chef’s table.
      “The concept of the open parrilla grill captures the quintessence of Mediterranean cuisine,” Mok told Dezeen.

      Linehouse designs space-themed cafe in Shanghai for creator of “Australia’s most Instagrammed dessert”

      On this level, fire-informed red and brown tones punctuate the space including the tiles that line the kitchen, which were repurposed from used coffee grounds.
      Finally, on the top floor under the exposed timber beams of the pitched roof, Linehouse created a string-wrapped wine room and a lofty private dining space.
      Panels of string line the staircase structureThe walls were again clad in white-washed stone. But here, it is contrasted with the intense black of yakisugi, or fire-preserved wood, which serves as a backdrop to a chef’s table.
      The space also features a generously-sized balcony, providing views out across this bustling neighbourhood.
      Linehouse created a string-wrapped wine room on the top floorThe spaces are linked by a staircase that weaves up through the centre of the building. Its chalky-white outer walls are patterned with a sculptural relief of sea creature exoskeletons, echoed by collections of shells displayed in glass jars nearby.
      Panels of string, woven into simple grids, line the staircase structure, allowing natural light to flow into the heart of the building.
      “We chose materials that tell the story of the coastal journey, while the exoskeleton wall is a modern representation of the sea,” said Mok.
      The top floor also houses a private dining roomLinehouse was founded by Mok and Briar Hickling in 2013 and the duo went on to win emerging interior designer of the year at the 2019 Dezeen Awards.
      The studio has completed a number of other projects in Shanghai, including a space-themed cafe decorated with real meteorites and an office housed in a former swimming pool.
      The photography is by Wen Studio, courtesy of Linehouse.

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      Lovers Unite wraps Bar Chelou in Pasadena with expressive drapery

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      Late artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude influenced the dramatic drapery around this restaurant in Pasadena, California, designed by Los Angeles studio Lovers Unite.

      Conceived by chef-owner Douglas Rankin as a take on a Parisian bistro, Bar Chelou opened earlier this year in a building in a Spanish Colonial Revival plaza next to the Pasadena Playhouse.
      Natural muslin is draped around Bar Chelou, emulating the works of Christo and Jeanne-ClaudeLovers Unite had just a few weeks to transform the space into an operational dining room, so looked to ways it could make maximum impact with minimal time.
      The studio found inspiration in the legacy of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who famously wrapped some of the world’s most recognisable monuments in giant swaths of fabric – most recently the Arc du Triomphe in Paris, which was realised a year after Christo’s death.
      The duo’s seemingly effortless but meticulously planned drapery is echoed on a much smaller scale around the Bar Chelou space, which was formerly a Baroque-themed restaurant called Saso.

      The restaurant in Pasadena features copper-topped tables that reflect light from an amber glass chandelier”We felt the spirit of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work was a good conceptual fit for a project, which is supposed to evolve over time, but we’re able to be referential while being playful with our approach,” Lovers Unite told Dezeen.
      “Translating the gesture of the wrap to a human scale and a hospitality context changes the meaning and impact of the gesture — it’s not necessarily an artwork but it’s evocative and surprising.”
      Patrons enter via an arched doorway, and are immediately met with the sight of natural muslin fabric hung around the walls and above the bar.
      Curtains surround the dining room and offer glimpses of the kitchen in places”Upon entering, one might feel as if they are visiting an expansive and uncluttered artist’s studio in a transitory state; hints abound that change is coming,” said the Bar Chelou team.
      Lifts and pleats in the curtains created by thick ropes reveal the chefs at work in the kitchen, as well as framing views of the arched windows seen in mirrored panels.

      Great White Melrose in LA offers outdoor dining on a pink-plaster patio

      A dark shade of green was chosen to contrast the natural muslin and is used across the dining room floor and built-in leather banquettes.
      Similarly coloured tiles clad the front of the walnut-topped bar counter at the front, which is slightly lower that the main dining area and offers additional seating.
      A dark shade of green chosen to contrast the fabric covers the front of the bar counterThonet-style bistro chairs accompany polished copper cafe tables, which reflect the light from a custom, amber glass chandelier that spans the length of the room.
      Walls were painted to match the hue of the curtain fabric, and the window frames are bright green.
      Light pours into the bar area through arched windows with frames painted bright greenPasadena located is northeast of Los Angeles, where many new restaurants with notable interiors have opened over the past few months.
      Among them are the retro-futurist 19 Town designed by Jialun Xiong, and Great White Melrose, which offers outdoor dining on a pink-plaster patio.
      The photography is by Chris Mottalini.

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      Johannes Torpe Studio creates “hedonistic” restaurant in Copenhagen

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      Danish design studio Johannes Torpe Studio added natural materials and metallic accents to the interior of Copenhagen restaurant Levi, which was informed by Italian and Japanese cuisine.

      Designed by Johannes Torpe Studio in collaboration with restauranteur Copenhagen Consepts, The Levi restaurant was created as a tribute to Italian grappa distillery Romano Levi.
      Organically-shaped chrome wall lights create an accent wall”Romano Levi was the inspiration behind the concept of creating the hedonistic atmosphere, which the restaurant invites to enjoy,” studio founder Johannes Torpe told Dezeen.
      “We also used his drawings as a foundation and inspiration to create the logo, brand colours, menu and livery paper textures, as well as when choosing the tableware and cutlery.”
      The bar has a green marble countertopDescribed by the studio as “daring and lively”, the interior design aims to create an indulgent setting that reflects the restaurant’s fusion menu.

      Johannes Torpe Studio added a U-shaped bar at the entrance of the restaurant, which features a green marble counter topped with a polished stainless steel glass rack and conical uplights.
      “We are very much in love with the classic Milanese restaurants, where the whole atmosphere is hedonistic, and everything starts in the bar with an aperitif,” Torpe said.

      Elements inside Copenhagen restaurant Hverdagen are made from a single Douglas fir tree

      Custom-made chrome wall lights with organic shapes create an accent wall, designed to add a playful juxtaposition to the natural finish of the larch wood used for built-in furniture and to cover beams and columns.
      Terrazzo flooring in shades of cream, green and deep green was arranged in geometric patterns to help define seating areas.
      Larch wood clads the beams and columns”There is no doubt that the use of chrome elements on the bar, walls, tables, and chairs with wool fabrics is a sharp contrast to the plasterwork around the kitchen area, as well as the consecutively used deep brushed larch wood that is going through the whole restaurant,” said Torpe.
      “The combination of these materials adds a warm and soft element that has Japanese as well as Danish design roots,” he added.
      “We aspire to guests getting the feeling of being in a third space, a feeling of travelling, a break from everyday life and giving that immersive experience a great restaurant should do.”
      The bathroom was finished in peach coloursAlongside the restaurant, the bathrooms were finished in monochrome peach tones with strip lighting around the ceiling perimeter highlighting the ribbed surface of the walls.
      Other restaurants completed in Copenhagen include a cosy Michelin-starred restaurant finished in dark earthy tones and an eatery with furnishings and fixtures made from Douglas fir wood.
      The photography is by Alastair Philip Wiper.

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      Eight offbeat bakeries and patisseries that provide playful backdrops for baked goods

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      A steely space-themed patisserie displaying chunks of meteorite and a green monochrome pastry shop with squiggly furniture feature in this lookbook of unusual and unique bakery interior designs.

      Architects and designers across the world have created bakeries and patisseries with striking interiors that provide a playful setting from which to collect baked goods to take home or enjoy while dining in with a tasty treat.
      From a bakery with an open-plan kitchen that showcases the bread-making process to a cheese tart shop with a Lego display counter, here are eight offbeat bakeries and patisseries that have been featured on Dezeen.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring inviting entrance halls, minimalist Tokyo apartments and bathrooms with colourful sanitary ware.
      Photo is by Jonathan LeijonhufvudBlack Star Pastry, China, by Linehouse

      For Australian chain Black Star Pastry’s first Chinese outpost, design studio Linehouse created a space-themed interior filled with stainless-steel shelves displaying meteorites.
      The shelving extends to the top of the walls and curves to form an arched ceiling. On the white-tiled counter, nine levitating cakes are displayed in glass containers.
      Find out more about Black Star Pastry ›
      Photo is by Mikhail LoskutovBreadway, Ukraine, by Lera Brumina and Artem Trigubchak
      Designers Lera Brumina and Artem Trigubchak finished this cafe and bakery in Ukraine with colourful walls and upholstery.
      Originally a dental clinic, the designers transformed the interior by combining pink and rusty hues with blue and grey tones to “emphasise the warm colour of bread”.
      Find out more about Breadway ›
      Photo is by Imagen SubliminalCasa Mela, Spain, by Casa Antillón
      The Casa Mela pastry shop in Madrid is made up of two rooms that Spanish studio Casa Antillón contrasted by completing one in white and the other in green.
      Customers enter the shop via the all-white room, which features an angular stainless steel counter displaying the sweet treats on offer (pictured top).
      In the green room, metal tables and chairs with wriggly edges provide dining furniture.
      Find out more about Casa Mela ›
      Photo is by Carolina LacazMintchi Croissant, Brazil, by Dezembro Arquitetos
      Architecture studio Dezembro Arquitetos was informed by pastry techniques when designing the Montchi Croissant patisserie in São Paolo.
      The flooring, countertop and bench seating were made from perforated terracotta bricks, which were infilled with concrete piped from an icing nozzle.
      Find out more about Mintchi Croissant ›
      Photo is by Kyung RohCafé Teri, South Korea, by Nameless Architecture
      Located at the base of a mountain in Daejeon, South Korea, the Café Teri bakery and cafe is made up of two buildings with exterior walls that curve towards each other to form an “artificial valley”.
      Designed by Nameless Architecture, the curving walls create a dramatic effect in the bakery interior and slope down to form stepping seating.
      Find out more about Café Teri ›
      Photo is by Volker ConradusSofi, Germany, by Mathias Mentze and Alexander Vedel Ottenstein
      Danish architects Mathias Mentze and Alexander Vedel Ottenstein transformed a former brick factory in Berlin into the Sofi craft bakery with warm tones, wood finishes and red vinyl flooring.
      At the centre of the space is an open-plan kitchen that the architects designed as a “production floor” allowing visitors to watch the bread-making process.
      Find out more about Sofi ›
      Photo is by Takumi OtaBake, Japan, by Yusuke Seki
      A counter made of Lego bricks forms the centrepiece of this cheese tart shop in Kyoto, which was created by Tokyo-based designer Yusuke Seki.
      Bamboo latticework lines the walls on either side of the counter and an open kitchen at the rear reveals the process of baking the cheese tarts.
      Find out more about Bake ›
      Photo is by Jerome GallandLiberté, France, by Emmanuelle Simon
      Interior architecture studio Emmanuelle Simon added arched shelving coves and rounded furniture to the Liberté bakery in Paris, aiming to create a unique space that encourages visitors to stay a little longer than usual while on their bakery trip.
      The rounded shapes were complimented with warm sandy colours and Raku tiles – ceramic tiles that were created by the ancient Japanese firing technique – cover the central island and back walls of the alcoves.
      Find out more about Liberté ›
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring inviting entrance halls, minimalist Tokyo apartments and bathrooms with colourful sanitary ware.

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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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      MEE Studio creates wood-and-copper interior for cafe in former church in Copenhagen

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      Architecture firm MEE Studio has designed the interiors and bespoke wooden furniture for a cafe and boutique in the Nikolaj Kunsthal art gallery within an old church.

      The municipality-run gallery, which is set in a deconsecrated church in central Copenhagen, asked MEE Studio to design a “lively and functional” space.
      Before designing the interior spaces, which feature warm and tactile materials such as copper and wood, the rooms in Nikolaj Kunsthal first had to be restored.
      The gallery is located in a former church”The spaces had been used for various purposes since the 1980s including art installations and other changing uses,” MEE Studio founder Morten Emil Engel told Dezeen.
      “This has left the spaces with remnants of ad-hoc electrical wiring, bricked-up arches, blocked-off windows and arbitrary lighting. Additionally, there was no water supply or plumbing in the spaces that now have the cafe.”

      The studio reestablished the grand door and window openings in the space and replaced the old acrylic paint with breathable lime-based paint, while also adding acoustic plaster to improve the acoustics of the spaces.
      Untreated copper was used as a backsplash for the barAt the centre of the cafe, Engel created a long bar that also functions as a ticket counter and is made from solid oak wood.
      Wood was also used for all the other furniture, including benches, tables and sculptural shelves, which Engel designed specifically for the project using European oak from sustainable forestry.
      “I wanted the benches to reference church benches – a bit chunky and heavy,” he said. “The church architecture is very robust with the church tower having two-metre thick walls. So the furniture had to have some substance to them.”
      The furniture complements the “robust” church architectureEngel also aimed to give the pieces a contemporary feel by fusing their “heavy look” with more contemporary elements.
      “All the furniture has visible joinery and tectonics in fumed oak, which allows the user to see how they are made and assembled,” he said.
      “I added some decorative inlays in the bar counter and boutique shelves. Inlays were traditionally used as a way of repairing wood and I wanted to symbolise that repair can be beautiful and sustainable,” he added.
      “In this way, it is sending the message that the furniture should have a long life and be repaired if it ages.”
      Artworks decorate the walls, here Pull by Martha HviidBehind the central bar, a copper backsplash adds an eyecatching material detail together with the matching sink and worktops, which were designed in reference to the roof of the old church.
      “As many traditional buildings in Copenhagen, the roof of St Nikolaj Church is made with traditional copper roofing, which has aged to a rich green patina over time,” Engel said.
      “I wanted to reference the existing material palate of the church but use it in a new way. So the kitchen features worktops, sinks and backsplash in raw untreated copper, which will evolve beautifully with time.”
      Lime-based paint was used for the wallsThe white walls of the cafe and store were contrasted with not just the copper and wood but also a burgundy red fabric designed by fashion designer Raf Simons for Kvadrat, which was used for the cushions and backs of the sofas and chairs.
      The colour was a nod to some of the space’s original colour but could also help disguise red wine spills in the cafe.
      “Oakwood was already used throughout the church so it seemed natural to use oak as a material,” Engel explained.

      OEO Studio uses materials in a “playful way” for Designmuseum Denmark cafe and shop

      “There was also the burgundy red paint which had been used originally for some woodwork, for instance, the stairs in the tower and the ceiling in what is now the cafe,” he added.
      “So it seems natural to work with an interpretation of the burgundy red for the color of the cushions. I matched the burgundy red to a fantastic Kvadrat textile designed by Raf Simons and it worked in providing vibrancy, but also as a practical colour in a cafe where red wine is served.”
      Red fabric was used for the seating, with the artwork Mercury (socks) hanging aboveAs well as the bespoke furniture pieces, the space was also decorated with carefully chosen artworks that have ties to the city of Copenhagen.
      “Mercury (socks) is a photograph by the famous Danish/Norwegian artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset from a series of classical sculptures by the world-famous Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen,” Engel explained.
      “The Thorvaldsen Museum is located only a few minutes away from Nikolaj Kunsthal, so the work relates both to art from the 19th century and contemporary art from the 21st century which is what you find in Nikolaj Kunsthal.”
      Other recent interior projects in Copenhagen include Space10’s headquarters, which has a kiosk-like design library, and the cafe and shop design for Designmuseum Denmark by OEO Studio.
      The photography is by Paolo Galgani.

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