In 2022, Johan Lindau, CEO and Design Manager at Blå Station, was directly asked by restaurant owner Jens Fältman if he wanted to be part of transforming the old restaurant Bar.B.Ko - originally designed by Johan in 1994 and carrying the name Bar.B.Ko since 1997 into a new, updated, and larger restaurant. The opportunity arose when Jens acquired two neighboring premises.
Johan immediately said yes, and together with architect Helena Nyholm at Sesam Arkitekter - the perfect sounding board for Johan - they were given the assignment to make the conversion from small to large possible.
Their theme became a farm with a barn, stalls, and a large pasture. The pasture was interpreted through a green terrazzo floor, where cows could be imagined grazing, while the pine plank walls were given a weathered patina with glaze. The bar, centrally placed in the space, became a grove of trees with living foliage, thanks to tiles Johan and his wife Malin had found in Ibiza. They shimmer, lift, and frame the very engine and heart of the venue: bar, kitchen, and prep area.
In the room also stand five pillars, each given its own distinct character with mosaics and tiles, symbolizing the five basic tastes: bitter, sour, salty, sweet, and umami.
The furniture choices were the easiest decisions - since that’s what we at Blå Station do best, all the furniture naturally comes from us, including the sound absorbers in the ceiling and on some of the walls.
Johan Lindau’s chair Gutang, which had stood in place for 28 years, was replaced by the chair Momang, a somewhat younger design created by Johan in 2000 for another restaurant, and reintroduced into production by Blå Station in 2021. The BOB sofa system was used instead of fixed benches, and Blå Station’s Bit table bases were color-matched to the floor so they would visually disappear. In front of the bar, the OXO barstool was chosen - its simple form leaving the beautifully decorated bar front visible.
The Ginkgo sound absorber in a dark green shade reflects a leafy canopy while providing pleasant acoustic dampening.
All lighting was developed in collaboration with Ateljé Lyktan.
Bar.B.Ko, dressed in new clothes, opened in the summer of 2023. As the finishing touch, their food and wine stand for a class rarely found elsewhere. In other words - food and design in symbiosis. Welcome!
