Le Petit Royal Frankfurt is a modern take on the traditional brasserie

A restaurant has opened in Frankfurt that combines the classic styling of a French brasserie with contemporary artworks and rich textiles.

Le Petit Royal Frankfurt is located on the ground floor of the Ameron Frankfurt Neckarvillen Boutique hotel in Bahnhofsviertel.

It is the first venue outside Berlin from the team behind the popular Grill Royal and, like its sister restaurants, its interiors are designed by company co-founder Boris Radczun.

For Radczun, it is more important to create spaces that will become timeless, rather than to follow trends. He likes to focus on tactile materials and comfortable furniture, rather than focus too much on throwaway aesthetics.

"For an all-day dining restaurant, it is most important to offer a sort of neutral, but very comfy hospitality," he told Dezeen.

"The restaurant will be open all day, for a long period and will be visited by a lot of different people, so the question is how to create a space that is interesting but not overwhelming," he continued.

"What kind of restaurant will people still enjoy in 10 years? It's also about not being too 'now'."

Artworks were chosen that fit with the pop-art style of the Grill Royal restaurants, but without drowning out the subtle but monumental architecture of the hotel buildings, constructed in Germany's Wilhelmine Period at the turn of the 20th century.

Among the standout pieces is a stained glass window by artist Paul Hance, in shades of red, orange and yellow, and a neon sign by art collective Claire Fontaine, which reads "I Am Your Voice".

"Their work 'Capitalism Kills Love' in Berlin is iconic for the Grill Royal, but for Frankfurt we went for something more subtle," said Radczun. "With all the banking skyscrapers around, you don't have to emphasise the topic."

Custom-made upholstered banquettes provide the majority of seating for the restaurant.

Radczun chose a tweed in shades of red and grey for the upholstery, to soften the brightness of bright white tablecloths. Along with the grassy textured wallpaper, they help to mute the acoustic quality of the space.

"As I like classical tablecloths in classical restaurants, a pure white, the overall haptic experience had to be toned softer," he explained. "I like to mix different colours of the same fabric, it looks more 'at home'."

Oiled-oak wall panelling and furniture adds a feel of quality that is echoed by the retro wall-lights and glass Ikora lamps.

Lighting was key in creating the right mood for the space throughout the day, according to Radczun.

"The Donghia wallpaper and the stained glass break and diffuse the light very nicely," he added. "Sometimes it looks sunny even on a clouded day."

"This quality is very important for the breakfast situation and gives a candlelit feeling to the evening service," he continued.

Le Petit Royal Frankfurt is a serving a menu of steak cuts, fish and seafood, and other modern French classics, accompanied by homemade sauces and seasonal vegetables.

It seats 80 people and also has a terrace that will open in the summer.

Frankfurt has recently been experiencing a building boom, as the city bids to woo banks from London as a result of Brexit. New high-rise towers by BIG, UNStudio and Ole Scheeren are all underway.

Dezeen is currently holding a competition giveaway for a stay at the Ameron Frankfurt Neckarvillen Boutique.

Photography is by Robert Rieger.

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Plumen and Batch.works launch 3D-printed lampshades made from recycled plastic

London-based lighting brand Plumen has partnered with 3D-printing specialist Batch.works to develop a range of shades for its LED bulbs that are printed on-demand using recycled plastic.

Batch.works and Plumen developed the collection of five lampshades in an effort to confront issues associated with waste plastic.

The shades are produced at Batch.works' east London workshop using plastic recycled from water bottles, fridges and other sources of plastic pollution.

The Ribbon light is designed by Bold for Plumen

Each lampshade was developed to fit one of the designer low-energy lightbulbs produced by Plumen, which was founded in 2010 by Michael-George Hemus and Nicolas Roope.

The first two designs by French studio Bold and German product designer Matthias Lauche launched in November 2019, with the remaining shades set to be unveiled in 2020.

The light is 3D printed using recycled plastic filament

Batch.works manufactures items using the latest 3D-printers, which layer strands of plastic filament to create three-dimensional objects based on computer-generated models.

The lampshades are printed using a filament sourced from Amsterdam social enterprise Reflow, which recycles and repurposes waste plastics.

Printing the products to order reduces the amount of waste produced, and the lampshades can be returned to the manufacturer for disassembly and recycling at the end of their lifespan.

Bold created a light that resembles fabric draping around the bulb

"To Plumen, 3D-printing is a very exciting opportunity for lighting," said Hemus, "because it allows shapes and forms that are not possible otherwise."

"More importantly, there is very little waste compared to traditional methods," he added. "Products are made to order, from recycled plastic bottles, and at the end of their lives they can be recycled once again. It's a sustainable vision for the future."

Plumen pioneered the development of designer alternatives to standard low-energy lightbulbs with products such as its Plumen 001, which won the Design Museum's Design of the Year award in 2011.

The company's founders announced earlier this year that it is to cease production of the bulbs and is currently looking for a buyer to take the business forward.

In the meantime, this partnership with Batch.works demonstrates a commitment to furthering the appeal of sustainable lighting solutions through good design and a circular manufacturing process.

Neo by Matthias Luche is based on art-deco forms

"We believe that thinking more carefully about what materials are used and how things are produced is key to combating short-termism," said Julien Vaissieres, the former architect who founded Batch.works in 2016.

"That's why this kind of collaboration is so promising. We believe 3D printing can be scaled to a wider variety of products, and become a practical manufacturing method for the future – and that's what we want to achieve."

The Ribbon design by Bold encircles Plumen's Wilma bulb in a continuous fluid surface that folds in on itself to create a double-layered form.

The ribbed outer surface resembles a piece of fabric draped around the bulb, with an opening providing a glimpse of the light source when viewed from one angle.

The inner and outer shade can be customised in different colours

Matthias Luche's Neo shade is based on the geometric forms of the art deco era. Designed to fit and frame the Plumen E27 bulb, it features an outer and inner shade that can be specified in different colours.

Since 2010, Plumen has consistently developed new bulbs and shades that fit with its ethos for producing sustainable lighting design.

These have included a shade shaped like a hat brim, a customisable chandelier kit, and an LED light with a gold-coloured inner diffuser.

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Green ceramic tiles cover extension of a house in rural China

Wonder Architects have used pale green ceramic tiles to clad a house extension in Yangqing, China, that mirrors the form of its traditional neighbours.

Called Intertwine House, the building closely resembles the dimensions and pitched roofs of the village's existing houses, so old and modern architecture sit side by side.

Wonder Architects said they wanted to explore how China's rural areas can respond to urban renewal without erasing their existing architecture.

"The [original] house, built in the 1980s was originally used as a wedding room," said  Wonder Architects.

"Even if it has been ruined, it still exudes the happiness of that time, and accepts long bits of wear and tear over the years."

The new building is a formally distinct volume, built on a former yard space, that links to the existing house both via a "cave-like" internal corridor and an upper-level terrace framed by sloping walls.

Intertwine House's contemporary ceramic finish meets the old brickwork and wooden structure of the original building in lines that run through its walls and roof terrace.

The front door is in open cut in the home's eastern end, which provides a direct route into the central yard.

Access to the extension is through a glazed gable end that sits behind a low section of wall.

Within this new volume, a kitchen and dining area is illuminated by a ground-level strip of windows in the facade and a large skylight.

A small gallery space connects to the original home, which houses bedrooms and bathrooms.

As a further contrast with the wood and brick of the original structure, plain white walls and pale timber floors line the living spaces.

Small sets of stairs that emphasise the changes in level throughout Intertwine House and up to the rood terrace.

Wonder Architects was founded in 2017 by Zhu Qipeng, Wang Chong, and Wang Sidi.

Several architects have worked to restore and extend traditional structures in China.

Fashion designer Sun Min and architect Christian Taeubert recently renovated a traditional cottage in a village outside Beijing, emphasising its original wooden roof, and MAD added a series of mirrored bubble-like extensions to a traditional Beijing hutong.

Photography is Yumeng Zhu.

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Project credits:

Design corporation: Wonder Architects
Architectural design: Chong Wang
Shop drawing: Chong Wang, Tailin Jin
Structural Engineer: Xuemei Gao

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Happy new year!

Happy new year from Dezeen. We'll be back with more architecture and design tomorrow, in the meantime read our review of 2019 ›

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BVH creates visitor centre for bluff overlooking Nebraska river valley

Architecture studio BVH used materials such as charred wood and weathering steel to help a visitor centre in a wilderness preserve hold up against harsh weather conditions.

The Niobrara River Valley Preserve Visitors Center is located near Johnstown, a rural village in north-central Nebraska. The building serves as a gathering spot and educational hub for a vast, 56,000-acre (22,662-hectare) conservation area featuring six different ecological zones, from forests to grasslands.

The preserve, which is owned by The Nature Conservancy, serves a variety of functions.

"The preserve is a working ranch, an educational laboratory and training grounds for rangeland management and controlled firefighting," said Nebraska firm BVH in a project description. "Recreationally, the preserve offers hiking, river sports and other outdoor activities."

The visitor centre contains offices, meeting rooms, restrooms and a servery. The building encompasses 3,250 square feet (1,315 square metres).

Perched on a small bluff, the building was designed to withstand harsh weather conditions, from icy winters to hot summers with threats of wildfire. In the summer of 2012, fires ravaged much of the area.

The team conceived an unassuming building that is rectangular in plan. Approached from the south, the structure is meant to have a low profile, so as not to compete with the natural landscape. The building's metal roof has deep overhangs that provide shade.

The main door is located on the northern side, which overlooks the scenic valley. Visitors can take in views from a covered wooden deck or an observation platform that projects toward the river.

Near the west end of the north elevation, the team created a tall volume with a glazed front. At night, the volume appears like a glowing lantern.

"We designed a tower along the north facade to act as a visual marker that can be seen from the Niobrara River below, a popular destination for river rafting,” said BVH design principal Mark Bacon.

Exterior walls are clad in rustic materials that blend with the environment. On the east and west facades, the team used Corten steel that will continue to oxidise, "providing an ever-changing dynamic facade".

The northern and southern elevations are wrapped in locally sourced cedar that was charred using the shou sugi ban, an ancient Japanese technique. The burnt wood is durable and resistant to insects.

The southern elevation features wide shutters made of weathering steel. The louvres help mitigate solar heat gain in the summer, while allowing sun to penetrate the building during cooler months.

"Where louvres were not desired, the planes of glass were recessed into the building with the roof providing necessary shading," the team said.

The building's envelope design adheres to guidelines put forth by Architecture 2030, a nonprofit started in 2002 that seeks to drastically reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The envelope was carefully conceived based on environmental conditions.

"The system was developed through computer analysis of pertinent data in real-time as the design was fine-tuned," the architects said.

The building envelope features structurally insulated panels (SIPs), which help with energy performance. The interior is finished with simple materials such as concrete flooring, white walls and timber accents.

Other projects in nature preserves include a wooden treehouse in Aspen that was designed by local firm Charles Cunniffe Architects and serves as a spot to view wildlife.

Photography is by AJ Brown.

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