Danish design studio Space Copenhagen has designed the interior of Le Pristine, a restaurant in Antwerp for Michelin celebrity chef Sergio Herman.

Le Pristine is a long, generous 445 sqm space that occupies the ground floor of a 1960s modernist building that had been left partly demolished, leaving some structural elements exposed. Space Copenhagen has kept some of these dramatic unfinished elements to visually tell the story of the building’s transformation. 

The courtyard of a neighbouring Baroque 17th Century mansion also forms part of Le Pristine, providing a courtyard that adds to the rich patina of the restaurant and a view into Verso, the esteemed luxury fashion boutique which lies within.

For Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard Rützou, founders of Space Copenhagen, bringing Le Pristine to life has been an exercise in using design to weave together art, gastronomy and architecture, resulting in a project that seeks to celebrate Antwerp as a destination.Space Copenhagen saw its role in Le Pristine as orchestrating a composition of diverse references, creating a space that feels distinctly modern, whilst reaching back in time to honour the architecture and art of the city. 

Le Pristine’s façade opens itself to the street exposing the interior bakery setting as a first impression of the space. Local plants offer a hint of the lush greenery waiting inside. At the entrance Le Pristine Cafe, centred around bread and conviviality, is warm and inviting and houses a traditional wood-fired oven. Space Copenhagen used a Belgian stone patterned floor and smoked oak joinery to contrast the industrial steel beams and concrete imprint of a staircase to the residential building above.