Contract Magazine - April 2017 - 69

PHOTOGRAPHY: JEAN CAZALS (OPPOSITE, BOTTOM); JAMES MCDONALD (ALL OTHERS THIS SPREAD)

Key Design Highlights
The interior design pays
homage to the Scandinavian
roots of both the designer and
the client, Aquavit.
Wrapping a curved bar
situated beneath a mezzanine,
the L-shaped main dining area
is double-height and features
large tiered brass pendants.
A palette of rose gold,
natural oak, brass, marble,
and leather contributes to
the welcoming atmosphere.
Most of the furnishings and
lighting fixtures were customdesigned by Brudnizki and
his team, with the exception
of a few antiques.
Textile wall hangings from
Märta Måås-Fjetterström-
designed by Olafur Eliasson
and Barbro Nilsson-serve as
focal points in the dining area.

the restaurant's impressive proportions draw
the mezzanine level at the rear of the restaurant.
the eye upwards, while a Nordic palette of rose gold,
The kitchen and service areas are hidden from view
natural oak, brass, and marble create a warm,
in the back. In the dining space, a series of huge
welcoming atmosphere.
tiered brass pendants that hang from the doubleUpon seeing the soaring space and the curved
height ceiling help to create a sense of intimacy.
perimeter of its mezzanine level for the first time,
Nearly all of the furniture and lighting fixtures
both Hamilton and Brudnizki were reminded of the
were custom-designed by Brudnizki, including
early modernist interiors of Gothenburg City Hall,
relaxed midcentury-inspired oak banquette seating
a building designed by architect Gunnar Asplund
and brass-framed dining chairs upholstered
in 1912 and completed in 1936. "The Gothenburg City in terracotta and teal-colored leather.
Hall stands as a beacon of modernist architecture
"A puzzle is always easier to put together
in Sweden and has always been a source of inspiration when you make the pieces yourself," he says.
for me," enthuses Brudnizki. "I love the way the
"It's all about the way in which you put them
space feels cathedral-like with a great open nave
together." When designing in-house was not
surrounded by a smooth, curved mezzanine level
possible, Brudnizki and his team sourced unique
situated above." At Aquavit, the Swedish architect's pieces from antique dealers, such as the 1980s
influence is clear to see, not only in terms of layout,
desk lamp that sits on the reception desk and
but also in Brudnizki's use of oak paneling, elegantly the Svenskt Tenn chairs in the private dining rooms.
curved lines, soft lighting, and other quintessentially
Textile wall hangings by Scandinavian designers
Swedish details, such as the leather-wrapped door
Olafur Eliasson and Barbro Nilsson were specially
handles and lamp stems.
commissioned for Aquavit London, adding
The dining area is laid out in an L-shape
more shades of blue and a contemporary, bespoke
around the bar, which is smartly tucked beneath
touch to the elegant interior.
contract

Contract Magazine - April 2017

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