reiters transforms a former butcher shop into a restaurant in maastricht

nestled in the heart of the dutch city of maastricht, design studio reiters has renovated a historic building to form the ‘onglet’ restaurant. the project, which included creating the visual identity for the fine-dining brand, breathes new life into a former butcher shop. combining contemporary elements with more traditional features, the interior strikes the perfect balance between past and present.

all images courtesy of reiters

for the design of onglet reiters imagined taking patrons on a unique journey. upon arriving at the restaurant, guests are asked to ring a doorbell before entering. when the door opens, they step into the closed caterer shop. the sound of other diners reaches softly through an open door. by following the sounds, the journey continues as they find their way through a cold meat locker before finally entering into the warm, intimate restaurant space.

as the name ‘onglet’ (dutch for the tenderest piece of meat) suggests, meat plays an important role. this theme is embodied through homage to the previous butcher store, both in the shop and the restaurant. by preserving the original butcher’s floor, the historic heritage of the building remains visible. in addition to all the existing elements, a mix of warm, luxurious and tactile materials have been chosen to transform the character of the former space into a pleasant place to dine.

the 16-meter arabescato marble bar attached to the open kitchen offers an eye-catching feature while the comfortable jupiter stools by johanson make the bar an ideal spot the evening. from here, guests can catch you a glimpse into the open kitchen where the chefs apply their master skills to fresh dishes. besides the marble bar, the restaurant is equipped with a soft liver-colored velvet sofa that crawls through the restaurant like a caterpillar and offer seating for around 40 people.

the sofa contrasts nicely with the white tablecloths while the antique lampshades takes guests back in time. in addition to the interior, reiters also designed the logo, packaging and menu cards for onglet. the team also developed the visual identity by designing illustrations that give a slightly provocative touch to the concept. overall, the project successfully breathes new life into an old historic building and makes it possible to discover a unique fine-dining experience.

project info:

project name: onglet

typology: restaurant

location: maastricht, the netherlands

design: reiters

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: lynne myers | designboom