Look forward to looking back

At ‘La Mehr’ – an in-house restaurant at the Hamburg offices of a leading insurance company – Kvadrat textiles contribute towards elevating acoustic comfort and aesthetic quality. They are specified in tones referencing the historic interior and respecting the contemporary lighting concept.

The restaurant accommodates wall-mounted benches, chairs, armchairs, and wall coverings upholstered in Steelcut 2. The architects have chosen the colours in historically appropriate shades that coordinate with the coloured stucco ceiling and parquet flooring.

In total, the layout of the restaurant accommodates 230 places organised in a sequence of 14 historic rooms that spans 375 square metres. Most of the elements are custom designed.

Flame-retardant curtains crafted from Time 300 and gliders constructed from Divina work in unison with the upholsteries to minimise noise and support speech intelligibility. They also add to the sense of a private, comfortable, and homelike atmosphere in-tune with the building’s origins.

Uta Pottgiesser, Director of KAPS Architekten: “We chose Kvadrat Steelcut 2 for its excellent acoustic qualities and rich colour palette. The effects of improved absorption in combination with strong colours create a welcoming and healthy interior that employees visit for dining and informal business meetings. The challenge of the design was to bring forward the heritage character of the building into a living and useable setting that serves the staff and restaurant functions."