For the design of Tim Raue’s restaurant in the historic Villa Kellermann in Potsdam, Ester Bruzkus Architekten have combined a series of contrasts: old and new, traditional and innovative, familiar and surprising. Like the recipes that Tim presents to the diners, the architecture of the dining areas are designed to be a fresh and surprising take on familiar themes.

Each room is its own colorful experience based on contemporary interpretations of historic colors: blues, greens, and beige tones. The main dining room, the Alte Fritz Saal, preserves the light beige textures and colors of the old building; the Green Dining Rooms are saturated in a harmony of carefully selected hues; the Elephant Room is a cozy lounge in Prussian Blue for languorous views of the Lake.

The design idea is to present each of the historical rooms as its own unique rich chromatic experience. Saturated in different hues, each room celebrates the historic legacy of the Villa and furnishes it with comfortable settings made from carefully curated materials and textures. The rich and contrasting fabrics for the chairs and custom benches come from different companies to make a playful collage of colors and textures: from Dedar, Kvadrat, Gaston y Daniela, and Fidivi. The different patterns are likewise a playful montage of materials including vintage designs from from Richard Morris & Co and the Swedish designer Estrid Ericson.

Custom cabinetry by Ester Bruzkus Architekten is made from metal frames infilled with colored and salted wood veneers by Llot Llov. All of the benches are custom designed by Ester Bruzkus Architekten in fabrics and solid brass trimmings, but the freestanding chairs have been selected from other noted designers: the chair in the elephant room was designed by the Danish designer Hans Olsen and is called the Gesture Chair, designed in the 1950s. The other freestanding chair that is used is the Verpan Chair, designed by Verner Panton in 1967.

Ester Bruzkus Architekten have developed the lighting concept together with PS Lab, who have designed and manufactured all of the light fixtures with each specific room of the Villa Kellermann in mind. The different halls have lights that are calibrated to optimize the ambiance of that particular room: the thin lines that extend out of the walls in the Alte Fritz Saal, the low floor lamps in the Elephant Room, the radial patterns cast by glass globes in the lower level, the flower-like (or is it the bottom of a rocket engine?) ceiling fixture that welcomes diners in the foyer.

Creating a restaurant within the historic Villa Kellermann meant that Ester Bruzkus Architekten had to carefully balance issues of preservation with innovation. Paying careful attention to preserving historic building fabric, the designers also restored important interior details: stucco profiles, wooden panels, antique doors and the marble fireplace. The historic lines of each room presents a design dialogue with bespoke furnishings and light fixtures made from fabrics and metals of brass, patterns, textures & colors - vintage and modern. And the furnishings stay respectfully away from the walls so that the conversation between new and old is clear and so that views to the lake are optimized.

The design of Tim Raue’s restaurant in the Villa Kellermann is a play of delightful contrasts and surprises, like his cuisine. It is familiar and new, innovative and based in tradition, comfortable and stylish.