main office constructs made in china dim sum restaurant in gothenburg
photo © milad abedi
all images courtesy of main office

 

 

 

‘made in china‘ by main office is a dim sum restaurant in gothenburg with the focus on enjoying oriental flavors without the formality of fine dining. located in an area historically known as the home of the cityʼs labor movement, the establishment is hosted in a property going through a transformation in which 4000m² are being restored and adapted by architect, axel robach.

main office made in china dim sum restaurant gothenburg sweden
view from entrance towards bar and kitchen opening
photo © milad abedi

 

 

 

rather then designing a typical chinese restaurant exterior adorned with tracery and ornamentation, isabella eriksson (co-founder of the firm) decided to place the emphasis on an industrial atmosphere. with itʼs raw, clean, and minimal selection of materials, the walls are all cladded with grey cladding (lime plaster) and the existing structure is kept in its original state, only painted in a darker shade. the space is oriented towards the street, with an upgraded façade perforated by window frames that continue the color palette. a wall dividing the previous delivery gate and warehouse has been torn down, exploiting the construction.

main office made in china dim sum restaurant gothenburg sweden
view from eating area towards entrance and wallpainting to the right
photo © milad abedi

 

 

 

the layout is simple. long tables with benches formed different constellations as the U-shaped bar gives visitors an open visual connection to the kitchen and the preparation of food. resembling other asian restaurants and their functions, an arrangement with seating around a circular table is below a large lamp. all furnitures are made out of massive oak and dark steel. as an exception to the walls, eriksson created a large scale painting facing the street. it resembles old-school posters from the chinese revolution, but with a gothenburg motif from the same era featuring the shipyard and its craftsmen.

main office made in china dim sum restaurant gothenburg sweden
view towards eating area, long tables and long benches
photo © milad abedi

main office made in china dim sum restaurant gothenburg sweden
zoom in of arrange (to the right) and tables (to the left)
photo © milad abedi

main office made in china dim sum restaurant gothenburg sweden
view from entrance towards wallpainting and wall-attached benches
photo © milad abedi

main office made in china dim sum restaurant gothenburg sweden
detail of furnitures, all made out of massive oak and steel
photo © milad abedi

main office made in china dim sum restaurant gothenburg sweden
(left) detail of bar with chairs
(right) zoom in of on-site made lamp, untreated steel
photo © milad abedi

main office made in china dim sum restaurant gothenburg sweden
view of the ‘room in a room’
photo © milad abedi

main office made in china dim sum restaurant gothenburg sweden
detail of the staircase
photo © milad abedi

 

 

project info:

 

name: chinese dim sum restaurant
location: gothenburg, sweden
completed: october 2014
architect/designer: isabella eriksson (co-founder of main office)
size: 138 sqm
photography: milad abedi

 

 

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.