Héðinn Restaurant Design

Harnessing the Power of Man and Nature

Expertise

Brand Positioning and Proposition
Brand Identity
Branded Experience and Interior Design
Brand Communication
Brand Application

Best Hotel Design Nominee

Travellers Choice Winner

Best Restaurant Design Nominee

Watch the Héðinn restaurant design story

The challenge

Create a warm and inviting venue that pays homage to the space's industrial roots.

Center Hotels needed to transform a historic structure that was once a steelworks factory into an exciting new space that would benefit the Center Hotels brand and provide an exciting new venue for locals and visitors to hang out and enjoy. This was in keeping with their strategy to develop a collection of fresh and dynamic restaurant concepts.

The big idea

To bring to life the overarching brand concept of ‘man + nature’ in a unique historical site.

Respecting History

Once a marine engineering workshop Grandi is an important landmark that calls for respect of its past industrial use and story. This called for a celebration of the existing architecture, stripping back of the layers that lead to the celebration of the original form and structure of the space.

Earth Meets Steel

We used organic forms and materials within the overall environmental design and incorporating graphic forms inspired by the volcanic topography of Iceland. The aim, to become a vibrant and memorable Reykjavík restaurant brand with a unique sense of warmth, energy, and atmosphere.

We feel fortunate to be working with I-AM, the collaboration has been a wonderful journey and they have exceeded our expectations."

Sara Kristófersdóttir, CCO at Center Hotels

The Grill as Theatre

The cooking process has been heroed in an iconic open grill in which sits at the heart of the dining experience. With its charred wood finish and sweeping Kriscadecor ceiling features, it eloquently echoes the juxtaposition of raw power and delicate beauty.

Private Spaces

This Iceland restaurant design is designed across a mezzanine layout, with the street entrance allowing access to a local cafe and wine bar. Private rooms can be used for flexi-meetings, private dining and venues for hire, making it a popular destination for hotel customers.

Our process

Behind the scenes

Strategic Workshops

We undertook a collaborative workshop with the Center Hotels team in Iceland to structure and inform the design strategy for the new restaurant. One of the clear priorities became targeting the locals to create a destination hangout, despite being located in one of their new hotels. A guest journey workshop identifies key moments in the experience, defining what we want our guests to think, feel and do at each key stage.

Conceptual Design

The concept of ‘Man vs. Nature’ was first explored through moodboarding and initial sketches, visually realising a tactile and sensory eating experience with strong links to food provenance and cooking methods. These early ideas were then progressed into full computer renders which brought to life all of the key moments within the guest journey and experience.

A Historic Re-development

We were involved with the on-site development and construction over a number of years, first seeing the site as an industrial shell, all the way up to the finished restaurant. Working closely with the clients, project management team, architects, contractors and suppliers to ensure the faithful realisation of the design concept whilst always being sympathetic to the historic building.