A Slice of Berlin in Moscow
Architect and Interior Designer Thilo Reich brings European design influence
to Moscow with his latest restaurant bar design.
images: Ivan Erofeev028 PROJECT
Almost 30 years after the fall of the wall,
Berlin is still a synonym for dynamic change,
for culture, free spaces, and for a nightlife
without limits.
Invited by gastronomes to design a 'Berlin Bar'
in Moscow, Berlin-based architect Thilo Reich
proposed a radical yet poetic translation.
With a degree in architecture from the
Technische Universität Berlin and extensive
experience with individual projects, Reich's
work ranges from furniture to urban design,
with a strong focus on unique characteristics.
His goal is to create innovative spaces that
combine modern concepts with personality,
cultural awareness and comfort - this ethos
was clearly channeled into his latest design
efforts in Moscow.Sitting down with darc, he explained the
brief behind the project: “The client was
looking for a Berlin interior designer and
contacted me after a publication about
another bar we designed - asking me to fly
over to get to know them.
“Initially, we were asked to design a bar.
However, during our first trip to Moscow we
visited lots of bars and other nightlife places
and realised it is common to serve food in
bars – so the brief changed into designing a
restaurant.”
This concept finally evolved into a bar-
restaurant hybrid after it was agreed that DJs
from Berlin would be regularly flown in to
perform.
Reich's concept transfers a public spaceof Berlin into an interior space of Moscow,
creating a social space with concrete
wall reliefs of Berlin pavements. Castings
of pavement segments are used in the
restaurant and include public places in Berlin
relate to the exchange and history between
Germany's capital and Moscow.
The design concept connects Berlin with
Moscow and yet with the roughness of the
grey wall paneling and minimalistic use of
concrete, is in contrast to the often colourful
and golden interiors of gastronomical
establishments in Moscow.
Much of the architectural elements, which
hark back to the cultural aesthetics’ of Berlin
are not only cosmetic, but are shipped from
the city itself.