Mjölk Architekti was recently commissioned to transform a beautiful Art Deco 19th century building, which was originally used as a showroom near Liberec, into a typical American pub for a client who comes from Chicago. The question here was how to give new look but preserve the quality and charm of this space.
The design team decided to preserve all plaster decoration and window details, painting them with the same color. To accentuate this original design, Mjölk Architekti has chosen raw materials to build the pub. For example the bar itself is made of old corrugated iron sheet. The wall behind the bar is garnished with black basalt bricks and decorated with colored metal blinds. Floors are made of bare concrete. This choice of materials gives the space industrial atmosphere which is very close to very atmosphere of Chicago.
The ceiling of the restaurant is very high and therefore the acoustic was problematic. So the architects decided to shatter acoustic with three huge lamps made of fiberglass. Same material was used for the entrance tunnel. They chose this particular material because of its unique quality of light distribution.
“After three months from opening we can say we managed to create a warm and friendly spot in Liberec” says architect Jan Vondrák. “The proof maybe is the fact that Chicago is constantly full with people enjoying the genius loci as well as delicious typical American burgers.”
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