Trattoria Breda, a 100-square-metre venue in Berlin, has been designed by Allen Kaufmann Architekten. The restaurant, which fills a former Thai restaurant on Paul-Lincke-Ufer in Kreuzberg, is painted almost entirely in saturated, high-gloss orange.
The use of orange is a bold choice, as it can be a difficult colour to work with. However, in this case, it helps to create a unique and cool aesthetic. The architects have successfully offset the building’s imperfections, such as wonky floors and walls, by making them a part of the design.
Design Strategy
The architects’ strategy, which they call “offsetting,” involves working with the building’s imperfections rather than trying to fix them. This approach has resulted in a space that is both practical and visually striking. Materials stop at different points, heights shift, and lines reappear slightly out of step, creating a sense of movement.
The mirror-polished steel corner profiles are a key feature of the design. They begin life protecting exposed edges, then continue across walls and ceilings as broken lines of reflection. This creates a sense of movement and energy in the space.
Layout and Details
The plan of the restaurant is designed to create a sense of flow and movement. A dense cluster of structural walls and service shafts sits in the middle, carving the space into distinct zones. The kitchen at the back wraps around this core to the bar at the front, creating a sense of separation between different areas.
The details of the design are also noteworthy. Steel footrails borrow their diamond-shaped section from Berlin’s humble street tree guards, while bathroom tile grids rotate and tiles spill into the dining room, tracing the swing of the outward-opening doors.
Trattoria Breda is a successful example of how imperfections can be turned into a design strength. The use of orange and the offsetting strategy have resulted in a space that is both cool and unique. Allen Kaufmann Architekten’s design has created a space that is full of character, and it is a sign of their skill that they have been able to create such a cohesive and stylish space from a potentially difficult set of circumstances.
