• Bar design with indirectly-lit alabaster rear bar wall. Fashioned from a tree trunk, the bar is set on a concrete base.
  • The concept is based on stained glass, with the copper colour reappearing throughout the restaurant design.
  • Hospitality design with contrasting finishes such as solid walnut, concrete, leather and blue steel.
  • Round walnut table with luxury copper Humble lamp and custom-made chairs, set on urban concrete floor.
  • Round mirror offers a view through to the bar, where the copper hanging lamps create an intimate mood.
  • Interior designer Robert Kolenik’s open restaurant kitchen with raw soldered seams and taupe coloured metro tiles.
  • Luxury toilet design with walnut shelves and petrified wood washbasin with free-standing stainless steel tap.
  • Detail of petrified wood washbasin with natural colour nuances.
Project Info
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Bistro Publique

In 2014, Publique opened its stylish doors on Anna Paulownaplein in one of the grandest parts of The Hague. The interior designer Robert Kolenik was asked to put his exciting stamp on this much-loved French classic.

Interior Design

Brothers Casper and Sjoerd Smits and their cousin Maurits Jonkman are all experienced hospitality entrepreneurs. Long time Kolenik fans, they had hoped to work with the interior designer on one of their projects. So they asked Kolenik to come up with a restaurant design. Kolenik: ‘The bistro had to be both stylish and accessible. And the deadline? Exactly eleven weeks.’ Thanks to a carefully thought-out plan, a team with long experience of working together, an enthusiastic approach and a critical eye, the interior designer was able to deliver the desired result within the required timeframe.

Hospitality design

For his interior design, Kolenik opted for a warm copper shade as the basis for his colour palette. This is the main colour in the restaurant’s grand stained glass windows, and it creates a feeling of peace and unity. This warmth also fits well with Publique’s unfussy but high quality menu, devised by chef Cezar Rebelo De Almeida. The menu features gastronomic dishes from all over the world, but they all have French roots.’

The homely glow of red copper reappears in the robust open kitchen, which alludes to the French bistros of yesteryear. Copper also features in the elegant, modern Humble lighting fixtures and lamps that were custom made for this hospitality design.

Hospitality design with exciting contrasts

The materials chosen underline the desired effect of exclusivity and accessibility. They create exciting contrasts, so each visit leaves you wanting more. For example, raw concrete is combined with natural materials such as walnut and leather. Or round shapes in the tables, kitchen and leather stools contrast with the straight lines of the architecture.

Design furniture

As with many of Kolenik’s projects, the majority of the furniture is custom made. So too are the lighting elements. This ensures that all the items live up to the high quality standards of the virtuoso designs. It also enables Kolenik to create that recognisable signature and high quality that a hospitality design demands.

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