LODE & STIJN BERLIN

Lode van Zuylen and Stijn Remi run this small Berlin restaurant focusing on a seasonal cuisine using ingredients sourced as directly as possible, delivered in a relaxed atmosphere.

Upon opening the restaurant, the pair admits that lighting wasn’t on top of their agenda. ‘We didn't really think deeply about a perfect light plan’, admits van Zuylen. Luckily, their friends at Dutch multidisciplinary design studio La Bolleur took care of the design of the space, which includes Achille Castiglioni’s Frisbi for Flos. ‘These lights aren’t just really beautiful objects, but the light that gets reflected is really great for a table setting as it is not a spotlight. It helps connect people sitting at the table.’

The restaurant’s interiors are warm and minimal: wooden floors, mid-century inspired furniture, geometric artworks and large windows overlooking the street, offering natural sunlight throughout the morning. ‘Still, the transition from day to night, especially between April and October, is a beautiful thing to witness’, adds van Zuylen. ‘It sets a kind of tone that is hard to describe, even more so when the sun shines a dark orange colour that gets reflected on the building across the street into our dining room’.

When quizzed about the perfect light to serve foot, van Zuylen enthuses: ‘Actually, the lights we have are perfect: it feels like the table is within its own sphere because of the shape of the light’.