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      Traditional Hong Kong diners inform interior of Bao Express in Paris

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      Design studio Atelieramo has completed a retro interior for a Chinese restaurant in Paris, featuring celadon-green walls and curvaceous wooden booths modelled on those found in Hong Kong diners from the 1970s.

      Architect Tala Gharagozlou and designer Virginie de Graveron oversaw the interior concept for Bao Express, a restaurant near Bastille in the 11th arrondissement that serves dim sum and bao buns.
      Bao Express is a Chinese restaurant in Paris. Top photo by Géraldine MartensHoused in a former button factory, the 500-square-metre space is divided into three areas: a bakery, a diner and a basement bar.
      Atelieramo set out to create a series of distinct yet connected spaces that evoke the architecture and pop culture of 1970s Hong Kong – in particular its greasy spoon cafes, locally known as cha chaan tengs.
      Diners can sit in the eatery’s cosy wood-lined booths”We reinterpreted snippets of that vibrant Hong Kong urban atmosphere with its coloured pavings, pastel colours, neon lights and dense mix of patterns and motifs,” said the studio.

      “The aim was not to create a decor but rather, with a playful nod to these references, create a new atmosphere distinct to Bao’s new space.”
      A larger skylit dining area is located in the rear. Photo by Géraldine MartensThe adaptation of the existing abandoned building involved significant alterations to the floor plates and structure, along with the addition of a new staircase and circulation.
      From the street, customers enter a small bakery and cafe serving sweet and savoury snacks to eat in or take away. What appears as a simple neighbourhood cafe conceals the presence of the larger dining areas, which are set back in the building’s plan.
      A new staircase leads down to the basement bar. Photo by Bérénice BonnotThe kitchens are visible from the street and guests walk past colourful crates of raw produce before passing through a metal curtain to reach the main Bao Express diner.
      The long dining space features cosy booths with sinuous wooden frames. The pastel-green walls are contrasted with bespoke bright-red sconces and simple mosaic panels that echo the materials of the central bar.

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      Towards the rear of the building is a larger dining area topped with an expansive skylight. This bright and airy space is filled with plants that create the feeling of dining in a winter garden.
      Exposed masonry walls painted in celadon-green form the basis for a playful colour palette featuring contrasting peach and pink elements as seen in the glossy tabletops.
      A hammered-metal artwork by SupaKitch decorates the ceiling in the barThe studio’s eclectic use of colour and pattern extends to the geometric tiled floors and punchy black-and-white stripes that are painted on the walls of the staircase leading down to the basement bar Underpool.
      This bar area features a hammered-metal ceiling installation by French artist SupaKitch, with a rippled surface that reflects the blue-green interior and creates the impression of looking up at an upside-down swimming pool.
      The artwork creates the impression of looking up at a swimming poolBao Express is part of a family of eateries in Paris owned by restaurateurs Céline Chung and Billy Pham. Atelieramo was responsible for designing several of the duo’s restaurants, each of which has a unique character inspired by different aspects of Chinese culture.
      Another eatery informed by traditional cha chaan tengs is The Astor restaurant in Hong Kong’s Eaton hotel, designed by New York studio AvroKO, which mixes elements of the city’s diners and street food stalls with nods to the arthouse films of Wong Kar-Wai.
      The photography is by Carole Cheung unless otherwise stated.

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      Hello Sunshine features “unlikely juxtaposition” of Japanese psychedelia and cabins

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      A “psychedelic inverted cabin” provided Canadian studio Frank Architecture with the design narrative for this Japanese casual bar and restaurant in Banff, Alberta.

      Located in the mountains of Alberta, Hello Sunshine offers barbecue, sushi and karaoke in a retro-influenced space by Frank Architecture.
      Fireplaces sit at the centre of special tables at Hello SunshineThe team imagined an alternate reality, in which Japanese graphic designer Tadanori Yokoo ventured into the mountains and holed up in a cabin for years, and based the interiors on what the result might have been.
      “Taking cues from the unlikely juxtaposition of Japanese psychedelia meets spaghetti western meets mountain cabin, Hello Sunshine is bold, playful, and distinct,” said Frank Architecture, which has an office in Banff.
      The wood-panelled restaurant features a rounded bar at the backThe eatery is located in the middle of the town, which is a popular destination for tourists and winter sports enthusiasts and is laid out to offer a sense of discovery.

      “The spatial planning is intended to feel organic and meandering,” the team said. “Upon entry, the restaurant isn’t immediately visible but is slowly revealed as one moves through space.”
      Japanese elements like paper lanterns and textile artworks and paired with plaid curtains and plenty of woodThe restaurant occupies a tall open space lined almost entirely in wood, with the rounded bar located at the back and a variety of table seating options scattered around.
      Diners can choose between communal benches, four-tops, booths, bar stools, or sit at one of two special tables.
      Booth seating is lined up against angled, shingle-covered wallsThis pair of large circular counters both feature a raised fire pit at their centre, below fluid-shaped flues clad in glossy, glazed ceramic tiles.
      Japanese design staples like paper lanterns and ceiling-hung textile artworks are combined with mountain tropes such as plaid curtains, exposed stone and plenty of wood.

      Frank Architecture creates intimate setting for Calgary’s Lonely Mouth noodle bar

      Blue corduroy fabric is used to cover banquettes, while the booth seating is tucked into a niche formed by angled walls covered with timber shingles.
      In the karaoke rooms tucked away at the back, patterned carpet, lava lamps and disco balls add colour and sparkle to the wood-panelled spaces.
      Karaoke rooms are enlivened by disco balls and lava lampsThere’s also a concealed tiny bar based on those crammed into the alleyways of Golden Gai in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
      “The result is a bold and encapsulating space that surprises and delights guests with unexpected moments and distinctive style,” said the team.
      A tiny concealed bar is based on those found in Golden Gai, ShinjukuThis isn’t Frank Architecture’s only Japanese restaurant – the studio also created an intimate setting for the Lonely Mouth noodle bar in its other home city of Calgary.
      For another spot in the Western Canada metropolis, the team drew inspiration from author Truman Capote to set a 1960s vibe at Major Tom on the 40th floor of a downtown skyscraper.
      The photography is by Chris Amat.

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      Studio8 transforms 1930s Hangzhou villa into hotpot restaurant

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      Promotion: Chinese architecture practice Studio8 has renovated the interior of a 1930s villa in Hangzhou, China, transforming it into a hotpot restaurant and cocktail bar that celebrates the building’s history.

      The Gud restaurant and bar includes a roof terrace, dining space on the upper floors and bar on the ground floor.
      The 496-square-metre space occupies a three-storey building that was built in 1939, as well as a later-built extension and the ground floor of an adjacent property.
      Antique hotpots are displayed throughout the interiorAlthough the villa had previously undergone a number of renovations, when designing the restaurant Studio8 aimed to maintain the building’s original features, including the street-facing facade.
      Service areas, including the kitchen, restroom and staircase, are located in the extension and adjacent building, leaving the full space of the historic villa for restaurant dining and the cocktail bar.

      The cocktail bar features red velvet seatingThe Gud restaurant specialises in hotpots, which lead Studio8 to study the culture of the cuisine and introduce aspects of it into the interior design, creating a “museum-like experience”.
      The project’s design was informed by three stages of making and experiencing hotpots – the heat from the fire that cooks it, water as the main medium of the food, and the elevation of the flavour coming from the steam.
      Studio8 used the themes of “heat, medium and elevation of flavour” to influence the function, materials, textures and light used in each space.
      The restaurant interior was informed by hotpot cuisineThe cocktail bar on the ground floor of the historic villa was designed to be a lively space. It features a red floor, a fireplace, structural columns that display antique hotpots and red velvet sofas.
      Part of the original brick wall was left exposed and a recessed mirrored ceiling at the perimeter of the room makes the space feel larger and more luxurious.
      The interior nods to the building’s history”As the first element, heat is a fundamental design factor on the first floor, where human interactions were planned out accordingly,” said Studio8.
      “The aim was to create a warmer and more welcoming space at the beginning of the hotpot experience, where people and friends meet first, have a cocktail and wait for everyone to arrive.”
      The restaurant features glass-brick nichesOn the upper floor is the restaurant’s main dining area, which features glass-brick niches in the walls where windows used to be.
      At the sides of the dining area, Studio8 opened up the ceiling to expose the wooden roof structure.
      The third floor includes a private dining room”After passing through the heated cocktail bar, comes the second element, water – the medium that reunites all elements,” said Studio8.
      “Family and friends are seated together in groups around the round tables on the second floor for the food experience, a process that the architects relate to water reconstructing the atoms of the ingredients.”
      A roof terrace overlooks the cityThe building’s original timber staircase was removed and a new enclosed staircase that connects the three floor levels was added in the patio area.
      The staircase has double glazed U-shaped glass partitions along its floors with a “lighting system to represent the continuous energy flow transition”.
      A terrace and private dining room are located on the third floor of the villa.
      A new enclosed staircase that connects the three floor levels was added in the patio area.”Here, the customers are reconnected with the city and able to look at it from different heights and angles, corresponding to the last element, steam, the elevation of taste,” said Studio8.
      “The simply designed interior shows off the geometric shape of the attic, while benches on the roof allow customers to have a more exclusive interaction with the city.”
      The staircase has double glazed U-shaped glass partitions along its floorsStudio8 is currently working on a number of renovation projects that aim to respect the history of the building, including the transformation of hotels and restaurants.
      The photography is by Sven Zhang.
      Partnership content
      This article was written by Dezeen for Studio8 as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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      Luchetti Krelle fashions playful interiors for RAFI restaurant in Sydney

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      Vivid abstract paintings meet patterned floors and oversized lighting fixtures inside this restaurant in Sydney designed by local studio Luchetti Krelle.

      Celebrating the produce available on Sydney’s coastline, RAFI serves a seasonal array of seafood small plates. The restaurant’s name is an acronym for Raffaella, Aurora, Frankie and Indio – the children of owners Ben Carroll and Hamish Watts.
      Large paper lanterns dominate the interior of Sydney’s RAFI restaurantThe duo already run a number of successful dining venues across the city, all of which were designed by Luchetti Krelle.
      When called to devise the interiors for RAFI, the studio set out to create a scheme that would “ignite a child-like awe and wonder” in keeping with the restaurant’s name.
      Neon-orange cargo straps help to secure wine bottles in placeThis theme is picked up in a number of playful decor elements throughout the restaurant including a trio of huge paper lanterns and mosaic flooring.

      To one side of the dining area is an open kitchen, where a chunky red mantelpiece was built around the ovens.
      Chequered tiles give the interior a playful feelA drinks bar lies on the other side of the space, nestled beside a tall wine rack that uses neon-orange cargo straps to hold bottles in place.
      RAFI’s plan opens up to a couple of larger dining spaces – one covered in chequered tiles and another dressed with blue banquettes, colourful abstract paintings and woven-back chairs.

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      The latter features wooden parquetry flooring arranged in concentric squares. This pattern is replicated on a set of cork doors at the rear of the space, which can be slid back to reveal an intimate private dining room.
      This area is centred by a hexagonal wooden table and a branch-like chandelier with light-up “leaves”.
      Abstract art and a branch-like chandelier feature in the private dining roomBlack box-frame windows that previously appeared throughout the restaurant were swapped for slender galvanised-steel casings, which offer better views out to the terrace.
      Here, the studio has introduced outdoor seating and “Aperol-toned” sun umbrellas, as well as a greenhouse-style dining room called The Arbor.
      Loosely inspired by childhood camping trips, this space features fold-out chairs and a canopy formed of white camouflage netting.
      More dining space is offered in a greenhouse-style structureLuchetti Krelle was established in 2008 by Rachel Luchetti and Stuart Krelle, with headquarters in Sydney’s Surry Hills neighbourhood.
      The studio recently completed another eatery in the city called Jane, which occupies a former butcher shop. Its eclectic interior draws on everything from seventies decor to french bistros and indigenous flowers.
      The photography is by Steve Woodburn.

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      A-nrd brings “beachfront feel” to restaurant in London's Soho

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      London design office A-nrd has used a palette of neutral and natural materials to give this restaurant in Soho a laidback atmosphere reminiscent of an Australian beach club.

      Milk Beach Soho is the brainchild of Sydney-born restaurateur Elliot Milne, who wanted to create an all-day eatery and night-time hotspot influenced by some of Australia’s casual dining venues.
      A-nrd has designed London’s Milk Beach Soho restaurantThe restaurant, which can seat 150 people, is located within the Ilona Rose House development in central London and occupies what was previously an empty shell and core unit.
      A-nrd set out to design a transportive space for the eatery that replicates the feeling of coastal hospitality in Sydney’s Milk Beach neighbourhood without feeling alienating in its urban setting.
      The eatery features natural materials like wood and rattan”We chose a natural, neutral palette to give the restaurant that beachfront feel,” said Alessio Nardi, who runs the studio together with Lukas Persakovas.

      “We wanted to avoid any direct nautical motifs or tacky references to the seaside,” he told Dezeen. “Our design is intentionally quite minimal and plays with textures and subtle colours instead of using obvious motifs like ropes or model boats.”
      Bamboo pendant lights by Lion Iron hang from the ceilingThe bright and airy space is grounded by a polished Palladiana terrazzo floor that was laid in situ, with large chunks of tonal marble set into a base of sand-coloured cement to create the effect of walking on a beach.
      Walls treated with stucco and limewash bring warmth to the spacious interior, as well as creating a sense of consistency throughout the dining area and the adjacent bar.
      The bar area is backed by glossy white tilesArt deco buildings found in Sydney and the surrounding area informed some of the shapes used in the restaurant, including a curved nine-metre-long bar and the stuccoed wall that separates it from the main space.
      The bar’s backsplash is formed from glossy off-white tiles that nod to the facade of the Sydney Opera House. The tiles alternate between a plain and relief pattern, adding texture and visual interest to the space.

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      The ceiling above the bar was lowered and clad in oak slats to create a cosier atmosphere, helped by flush art deco-style lights.
      A-nrd designed much of the furniture for the restaurant, including sofas, banquettes and tables with soft shapes that extend the art deco influence.
      Other bespoke designs used in the space include the two-metre-wide pendant lights that were crafted from bamboo by British metalworker David Barker’s company Lion Iron.
      Sandy-hued Palladiana terrazzo covers the floorThe use of natural materials also extends to the restaurant’s seating, made from timber and rattan or woven leather. The tables feature solid travertine tops and sculptural oak legs.
      Wall lights made from Japanese paper by artist Celine Wright and an Abaca fibre pendant from Pinch provide warm, diffused illumination within the dining area.
      Travertine was used to form tables throughout the restaurantThe layout of the space takes advantage of the building’s large lightwell, which floods the interior with natural light and provides views to the exterior.
      The restaurant is designed as an indoor-outdoor experience, making the most of a large courtyard area with seating for 65 guests.
      Art deco-style sconces bring a warm glow to the interiorAlessio Nardi founded A-nrd in 2015 and was joined in 2018 by long-term friend and collaborator Lukas Persakovas.
      A-nrd’s previous work includes the interior of London restaurant Kol, which aims to capture an authentic sense of Mexico through its material palette and furnishings.
      The photography is by Charlie McKay.

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      Citrons et Huîtres oyster bar creates impression of “diving into an aquarium”

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      French interior designer Marion Mailaender has completed a seafood bar in Paris named Citrons et Huîtres, which features oyster-shaped door handles and a stainless steel counter informed by fishmongers.

      Mailaender, who specialises in creating spaces “with a great sense of humour”, designed the bar to resemble an elevated market stall, where guests can dine inside or take away platters of oysters and shellfish.
      Citrons et Huîtres is an oyster bar with coral-coloured stoolsCitrons et Huîtres has a raw steel facade informed by the storefronts of local fishmongers, which have floor-to-ceiling windows that open onto the streets of Paris.
      Guests enter the bar through a door with a bronze handle shaped like an oyster shell, while a matching neon sign is fixed on the facade above the bar’s name.
      The bar has door handles shaped like oyster shellsInside, the space has a vaulted ceiling that reaches more than four and a half metres in height, which is painted blue together with the walls to create the impression of “diving into an amazing aquarium”, the owners said.

      The walls are decorated with prints by Mailaender’s husband, the artist Thomas Mailaender, who used a cyanotype printing process dating back to 1842 to produce ethereal blue photographs of coastal scenes.
      An oyster-shaped neon sign decorates the facadeCountertops are rendered in stainless steel and finished with a “pearly sheen”, while coral-coloured stools line the bar.
      The bar serves local French oysters from Brittany, presented on stainless steel trays that complement the interior.
      “Like a market stall with its stainless steel seafood counter, Citrons et Huîtres invites guests to savour the most incredible oysters while sipping on a glass of white,” the bar’s owners explained.
      Walls and ceilings are painted in a moody shade of blueThe name Citrons et Huîtres was chosen to reference a still-life by French Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, who once had his studio in the same building that now houses the oyster bar.
      “At the height of his glory in 1900, Renoir created Citrons et Huîtres, a piece of art that celebrates the most beautiful shellfish, classified as a national heritage of French art,” said the owners.
      The bar serves local French oysters and mussels from BrittanyOther oyster bars with interiors informed by the food on offer include Vancouver’s ShuckShuck, which is traversed by a curving concrete counter, and Watchman’s in Atlanta with its “spare nautical” interiors.
      The photography is by Thomas Tissandier.

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      Keiji Ashizawa draws on “whiteness of tofu” for tactile Saga Hirakawaya restaurant

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      Japanese designer Keiji Ashizawa paid homage to the food on offer when designing the Saga Hirakawaya tofu restaurant, which hopes to revitalise a depopulated community in Japan.

      Located in the hot spring resort Takeo Onsen in Japan’s Saga prefecture, the curved restaurant was designed to blend in with the surrounding environment, including a historical tower gate.
      The Saga Hirakawaya restaurant is located next to a historical tower gate”Tofu, a food culture rooted in the region of Saga prefecture, is the main ingredient of this restaurant,” Ashizawa told Dezeen. “Since tofu is a simple food, we chose materials with a sense of simplicity such as wood, concrete and walls finished in plaster to bring out the texture in the materials.”
      “With a background of wishing to use local materials, wood was used for the entrance, windows and undersurface of eaves to match the wood from Ariake, a furniture brand based in Saga.”
      Volcanic ash was used for the plasterThe studio also used shirasu – a type of volcanic ash from Mount Sakurajima in Kyushu – as a plastering material for the building’s exterior walls.

      Saga Hirakawaya has a curved design forming a semi-open interior courtyard, which holds a foot bath with hot spring water that aims to encourage the restaurant’s customers to eat and stay outside the establishment for longer.
      Wooden furniture matches the pared-down interiorInside the 435-square-metre restaurant, the interior matches the exterior with pale grey walls that nod to the food on the menu.
      “As the ceiling and walls are curved, pale colours are used to extend the light beautifully in the restaurant, complemented by the use of grey colours on the walls and floors,” Ashizawa said. “It also signifies the whiteness of the tofu.”

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      The restaurant’s ground floor houses a shop selling tofu-based products and sweets, while the first floor is home to a restaurant serving onsen yudofu – a type of tofu made using hot spring water.
      An open atrium connects the shop and restaurant, which both feature large windows.
      The ground floor houses a shopCircular lamps made by local paper manufacturer Nao Washi hang over the tables while the wooden furniture was made by furniture brand Ariake, which manufactures in Saga prefecture.
      The decision to open the Saga Hirakawaya restaurant in Takeo Onsen was made by its owner, who was born and raised in the area and wanted to help revitalise the community, which has suffered from a population decline.
      Paper lamps hang over tables”Depopulation is inevitable in rural areas of Japan,” Ashizawa said. “But in order to revitalise a region, it is important to attract people to the area through tourism.”
      “The client decided to create a restaurant serving onsen yudofu, believing that the region’s unique culinary culture could be an incentive to visit the area for sightseeing.”
      A restaurant space is located on the first floor”We deeply sympathise with the client’s hope to make the most of the wonderful location in front of the historical tower gate of Takeo Onsen, an important cultural asset, and to combine it with the region’s unique food culture to attract tourists from both inside and outside of Japan, contributing to the revitalisation of the area,” he added.
      Other recent projects by Ashizawa include a Blue Bottle Coffee shop in Kobe and a mid-century-modern-informed residence in Tokyo.
      The photography is by Ben Richards.
      Project credits:
      Architect: Keiji Ashizawa DesignProject architect: Keiji Ashizawa, Kentaro Yamaguchi, Tsubasa FuruichiConstruction: Yamakami IncFurniture: Hirata Chair/LegnatecLighting: Saito Shomei/Nao Washi

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      David Thulstrup decorates Ikoyi restaurant with copper walls and curved metal-mesh ceiling

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      Copenhagen-based designer David Thulstrup drew on spice-making processes when designing the interior of London’s Ikoyi restaurant, which features a variety of materials including copper and oak.

      The 150-square-metre restaurant, which has a menu based on seasonal British produce and spices from sub-Saharan west Africa, is located inside the brutalist 180 The Strand building in central London.
      Studio David Thulstrup has clad London’s Ikoyi restaurant in copper sheetsThulstrup completely renovated the interior, adding panels of a specially-designed metal-mesh weave that curve up from the restaurant’s windows and cover the ceiling. The ceiling design was informed by the process of spice production.
      “I was inspired by sifting spices and thought the mesh could both capture and reflect light coming from the outside, the street light in the evening and sunlight in the daytime, but also be respectful to the exterior,” Thulstrup told Dezeen. “The lights from inside the restaurant will be captured and ‘sifted’ towards the street.”
      Decorative metal mesh was used to cover the ceilingThulstrup also layered materials to create a restaurant interior that references the “boldness and intensity of the gastronomy” delivered by Ikoyi’s founders Jeremy Chan and Ire Hassan-Odukale.

      The restaurant walls were lined with oxidised copper sheets finished with beeswax, while the floors were covered in Gris de Catalan limestone that was flamed and brushed to develop a hammered surface.
      Ikoyi is located inside a brutalist buildingThe custom-built furniture and built-in joinery were made from British oak, while banquettes, chairs and wall panels were lined with ginger-coloured leather.
      “I always work with contrasts and I like honest juxtapositions of materials that activate your senses – the copper that is warm in colour but cold when you touch it, the warm natural ginger leather against the colder steel mesh and the rough Catalan limestone floor against the warm English brown oak,” Thulstrup said.
      The colour palette was kept warm and earthyThe earthy, rustic hues chosen by Thulstrup for the interior were informed both by the restaurant’s food and the building in which it is located.
      “Ikoyi is placed on the ground level of the beautiful and very active brutalist building 180 The Strand,” he said.

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      “The restaurant’s gastronomy plays an essential role in the palette as well,” he added. “It’s not an interpretation of a dish but an exchange in colour and tracing ingredients back to their natural form and colour.”
      On arrival, visitors to the restaurant are also greeted by a large copper-clad fridge that shows the produce served at Ikoyi, with slabs of meat and fresh fish hanging from meathooks.
      Large copper fridges showcase fresh produceThulstrup wanted the fridges to remind people of where their food is coming from.
      “[The idea was] that we know where a piece of fish comes from and that we are aware what a piece of meat looks like,” he said. “It traces the story back to when the animal was alive and underscores that we have to take good care of them and appreciate them.”
      “I thought it would be a modern interpretation and celebration of our awareness of food.”
      Wooden and leather-clad furniture was used for the interiorThulstrup founded his studio in 2009 and it is based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The studio works in architecture, design and interiors.
      Previous projects by the studio include an office in Borough Yards, London, and the revamp of a winery in California’s Sonoma County.
      The photography is by Irina Boersma.

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