open AD upcycles material offcuts & leftovers to form pop-up restaurant interior in latvia

commissioned by chef inars birmanis, architecture firm open AD has designed a vegetarian pop-up restaurant within an unfinished apartment in riga, latvia. dubbed ‘venue 54’, the restaurant makes use of offcuts and construction leftovers in the space, but still succeeds in feeling totally luxurious, thus exemplifying the potential of upcycling.

art by flera birmane complements the interior
all images by alvis rozenbergs

the incomplete apartment, provides an ideal sense of unknown that serves as an axis for the design concept. the architects had previously acquired a collection of offcuts and leftover materials, which were later used for inspiration, as well as the actual construction. the implemented spatial solutions are affordable, adaptable and easy to transport. meanwhile, they are also deeply rooted in the idea of responsible reuse. ‘every piece has the chance at another life after the restaurant shuts its doors for the last time,’ open AD shares.

the restaurant is located on the 20th floor of riga’s ‘philosophers residence’ apartment complex

most of the furniture is handmade, formed as the result of informal on-site workshops under the guidance of lead architect tetere-sulce. for weeks, designer beatrise dzerve, chef birmanis himself, his friends, and craftsmen aldis buss & agnese landrate worked side by side, piecing together what is now presented as furniture and accessories within the interior. with a view to a brighter future when people will gather again, the pieces are made adaptable, fitting perfectly into spaces that can host seminars, larger banquets, and various events.

the sofa was created by designer agnese landrate specifically for this restaurant

in ‘venue 54’ the scaffolding acts both as a room divider, and as a vertical garden space. as part of the brief, chef birmanis specified that he wanted to grow some ingredients on-site, to illustrate that slow living principles can work in an urban environment and that the distance ‘from farm to table’ is in our own hands.

the scaffolding serves as a room divider and also as a vertical garden

having arrived at the table, guests notice the contrast between the table setting and the creative ‘chaos’ of the space. on the other hand, the table setting is designed neatly, to emphasize and complement the beauty of the food. the tableware is from the eclipse line by latvian brand vaidava, in partnership with ceramic artist laima grigone.

in addition to their vegetarian meal, diners get the added bonus of a panoramic view of riga

dishware by latvian brand vaidava ceramics

the table setting is designed to highlight the beauty of the food

the bar area is assembled from leftover construction materials, offcuts, and scaffolding

every item in the interior will have another chance at life, once the restaurant closes its doors

designed to cater for both regular dining and special events, the restaurant comprises different areas

the seat covers not only look good but are also easy to wipe and therefore hygienic

project info:

name: venue 54
architects: open AD
project team: zane tetere-sulce (lead architect), beatrise dzerve
location: riga, latvia
area: 120m2

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom