We worked on the interiors for the new DNB Restaurant at the Budapest Marriott Hotel.
The hotel approached us to refurbish and relaunch their existing restaurant; our design brief was to redo the space to appeal to younger and local guests.
We worked on the food concept, brand positioning, logos, collateral, and interior design.
We recommended a revised food concept - serving classic and original Hungarian dishes, paired with wines that celebrate the 22 incredible wine regions in Hungary.
The concept banked on sourcing ingredients from local vendors and farms. This also influenced our colour palette - burgundy, browns and tans.
We designed the interiors to complement the food concept and the local elements surrounding the restaurant, including the Danube running along the riverside property. Our choice of materials and finishes reflects this idea throughout the space.
The team worked on furniture including the main restaurant seating, the breakfast table, a feature bar table, bar dining seating, counter stools, lounge seating, and low lounge tables.
We worked with the goal of making the restaurant a well-designed space for breakfast and day service, and an enticing, inviting one at night.
Key design features include rough finishes, intense-grain oak, rolled steel, antique mirrors, and reeded glass. The intentionally-unfinished materials were chosen for a rustic, earthy style.
The restaurant serves a buffet for breakfast, so presents an open kitchen. The communal table doubles up as a breakfast table in the morning.
To bring the space to life in the evenings, we chose pendant lights over the central seating area, and spherical pendants over the window seating.
Table lamps sit on the charcuterie bar counter, while wall lights and a cluster of pendants adorn the window booth seating. We also chose unique lights for the meet & greet area and the waiter stations. The grand chandeliers complement the raw-rustic-grill language of the restaurant.
We recladded the kitchen island and bar counters with crackle tiles to emphasise the fresh produce and reupholstered the banquettes.
For the cushions and low lounge seating, we chose unique Hungarian upholstery.
At the focal point of the space, the island bar features food clues to celebrate the unique and local charcuterie on offer. We retained the existing food islands, adding tiles and lights, and increasing space for plate storage.
We used vibrantly patterned tiles for the counter front in the wine bar, with timber accents for warmth. The gantry above the bar illustrates food clues and is also designed for storage of dry food and wine glasses.
A key feature of this restaurant is the sliding screens at the waiters’ stations that can be moved across the room to adapt layouts as needed.
The wine wall celebrates wines from the 22 regions - each with their own cupboard and description. Strategically placed full-height mirrors and foliage bring in an added dimension of elegance.
WATCH: THE DNB RESTAURANT AT THE MARRIOTT BUDAPEST, COURTESY OF THE HOTEL
'We have worked with Mark and his team for a number of years on restaurant and bar projects across our brand portfolio and continent, and have always received great ideas together with a professional service and project management.'
Gustaf Pilebjer – Director of F&B, Marriott Hotels