An intimate and dynamic dining experience for a Michelin starred restaurant based in Stockholm, who specialise in primitive, open-fire cooking techniques.
Niklas Ekstedt, the founder of the restaurant has banished all electricity in the kitchen and replaced electric cookers and gas burners with fire pits, wood-fired ovens and specially designed smoking chimneys to give the food a truly unique character.
My design aims to strengthen the Ekstedt experience by increasing the connection between the cooking process and the diners in the restaurant by creating a form of ‘Cooking theatre’ comprised of a centralised kitchen, surrounded by high standing dining benches in a ‘Dynamic dining’ configuration, whereby the view of the kitchen is enhanced through an articulating layout to allow the diners increased visibility as well as a well-varied view of the chefs providing a stimulating spectator experience, fullof theatrical flames and world-class cooking.
Craftsmanship is integral to the cooking process at Ekstedt; therefore I have found inspiration through studying Blacksmithing to create an aesthetic identity for the restaurant. The warm ambience and raw feeling of the restaurant was heavily influenced by the paintings by the 18th century artist Joseph Wright of Derby, and his depictions of quintessential blacksmith scenes. This is reproduced in the interior design of the restaurant by creating a windowless structure that has as little artificial lighting as possible – allowing only the glow of the fires to illuminate the area. The exterior form was designed to give the impression of an abandoned, collapsing barn; serving as a metaphor for the forgotten sense of craftsmanship that Niklas aims to revive through the restaurant.
