Remi | Ester Bruzkus Architekten

Ester Bruzkus Architekten approached the design of the new Berlin-Mitte restaurant REMI for chefs Lode van Zuylen and Stijn Remi by using architectural materials that are high in quality, carefully sourced and crafted, with rigorous attention to detail. This is the very approach to ingredients that the chefs bring to crafting a meal, so the success of the project results from a synergy between the architects and the chefs. The design is intended to emphasize simplicity and quality - and to enhance a dining experience that is authentic, straightforward and fun.

At the center of the space is the open kitchen – surrounded by materials working together like diverse ingredients for a good meal: unfinished perforated aluminum, rough stucco, red-colored MDF cabinetry, transparent lacquered birch, pale blue curtains, stainless steel and a natural deep red granite that combines all the colors used in REMI. The volumes that make up the kitchen are framed by overhead rings of lighting, enhancing and unifying the clean and transparent design.

The detailing reveals the inherent qualities of the materials - what they look like in cross-section, their thickness and depth, and how the different materials make outside corners. The best example of this material approach is how the red-colored MDF is used - the color is not applied to the surface but all the interior fibers are stained - so when it is cut, it reveals its interior like a stick of butter.

The design takes advantage of the best attributes of the site in the ground floor of the new Suhrkamp Verlag building by Bundschuh Architekten. An important goal of the design was to retain the feeling of openness that comes from the high exposed concrete ceilings and the expansive glass fronts on either side of the restaurant. A triangular welcome desk resolves the complicated geometry of the site so that the dining areas have a placid atmosphere.

The dining area furniture, provided by Studio Coucou, combines custom-made tables in fine plywood, polished steel and Forbo linoleum with chairs by Please Wait To Be Seated, custom wood banquettes upholstered with corduroy fabric by Kvadrat and lighting by Valerie Objects. The large overhead rings of light were designed by Ester Bruzkus Architekten.

The design for REMI shows the parallels between good design and a modern dining experience. By treating architectural materials with the same approach as the chefs approach the meal, Ester Bruzkus Architekten have created a restaurant for chefs Lode van Zuylen and Stijn Remi that is bright, carefully detailed, and made from architectural materials that come together like a well crafted meal.