Renovating an old, famous and established restaurant in the historical center of Hague is a demanding task. The need for modernization and customers increase, usually bumps into the fear of change. The great challenge in this project was to create a warm, refreshed atmosphere by conserving the unique identity that this historic restaurant has created through its many years of service.

By making the right changes in the floor plan along with the new sitting plan, we managed to increase the total customers’ number in the hall. The new space was designed in a classic bistro style with the creation of cozy sitting corners. All built-in furniture and showcases were custom-made in order to expose vintage objects and paintings that decorated the restaurant all the previous years and also reserve space for practical use. Classic colors, motifs and materials were chosen and combined in a way that doesn’t remind of the previous space, but it reflects its spirit and history.

The project’s basic subject was the increase of the kitchen and the hall space, along with the decrease of the disturbing noise in the main hall.

The space was organized in two basic sections: the open kitchen-bar and the main hall with the mezzanine. The kitchen was spatially expanded through its unification with the bar zone. It was also optically expanded through the semi-open metallic façade. The mezzanine’s creation along with the appropriate sitting plan reserved extra space for customers and also a necessary hidden storage. The narrow wooden shutters are placed before sound absorbing panels on the walls and the ceiling is covered with sound absorbing plasterboard and wood. In that way the space’s noise pollution is significantly decreased.

This project is a characteristic example of how practical problems can be solved through the right synthetical choices and materials, so that a cozy and relaxing atmosphere can be achieved, even in a narrow budget.