The idea behind Food Hall Browary was to conquer the hearts of Warsaw gastronomy enthusiasts. New fashionable places, restaurants and revitalized former Warsaw Breweries in the first month of operation proved that they are on the way to achieving this goal.
Food Hall Browary is located on the premises of Browary Warszawskie – an investment run by Echo Investment. The assumption of the project was to create a space where history, culture, artistry and gastronomy are combined.
The best chefs run their restaurants on the area of 1,500 sqm, serving their dishes in cosy, original restaurants, and one of the premises belongs to one of the most outstanding sportsmen in the world – Robert Lewandowski. There are 12 bars and restaurants in this space, which together can accommodate up to 300 guests.
“Food Hall Browary is a place with a unique atmosphere, attracting not only a variety of flavours but also with its design,” says Aleksander Köffer-Likus, the facility’s operational director. “We wanted the time spent in this interior to pass quickly and be remembered by our guests for a long time. The dominant feature of the food hall is the spectacular central bar and wine bar. From the very beginning, we attached great importance to the visual effect of the prepared space, carefully selected music and communing with art.”
The investor, preparing for the revitalization, wanted to provide the guests of the food hall with perfectly arranged spaces, both for private meetings and group events. The author of the interior design is the Warsaw studio NOKE Architects, which prepared it in cooperation with the conservator of monuments:
“The project had to meet two main assumptions,” says Piotr Maciaszek from NOKE Architects. “First of all, it was necessary to find a distinctive idea for the gastronomy itself, which would be able to tame the difficult space of three aisles crowned with arched ceilings. We wanted to provide a sense of intimacy and friendliness to the interior, even when it is not filled with guests. The second assumption was to maintain the stylistic consistency of the entire project, despite its size and diversity. We focused on an irregular composition of open kitchens, a central bar and a wine bar, which together created a unique premium street food space. As for the style, we wanted it to correspond to the original character of the place. We opted for minimalist, heavy forms and expressive, raw materials. All furniture, except the chairs, has been specially designed for this project. The project was prepared in cooperation with the conservator, which consisted in restoring the brick thread, highlighting the beautiful original cradles and pedestals for the barrels,” he sums up.
The final stage of the facility preparation was interior design, for which the Warsaw-based company Trust Us was responsible. The investor wanted the end result to reflect the atmosphere of the NOKE Architects studio’s inspiring concepts from the very beginning, but the end result exceeded even the architects’ bold vision. As a result of the implementation, and the interior was created that combines the raw character of restored brick walls with modern elegance. This was achieved thanks to the perfect combination of high-class proprietary lighting and natural materials such as wood, steel and stone. The combination of arched vaults, oval lamps and a central bar proved to be a perfect solution, which gave the final effect of the essence of the art deco style.
“Trust Us made all free-standing furniture in the breakfast area, buildings, bar counters, central bar, candelabra over the bars, strip ceiling, tables and benches,” says Daniel Ochońko, President of the Management Board of Trust Us. “We used wooden materials, mainly oak, as well as precious metals, dominated by copper. It was quite a challenge to suspend heavy metal elements on historic cradles because they had to hang a few meters above the ground. The main assumption was to create a universal place, intended not only for families with children but also suitable for business meetings, spending a lunch break or organizing evening music events.”