Artist and tastemaker Maarten Spruyt is behind the design of Capital Kitchen, a captivating new culinary destination in Amsterdam. Inspired by the theme of the inner self, the restaurant opens as part of Capital C, a cultural hub featuring pop-up galleries, coworking space, meeting rooms, offices, and event areas within the city’s transformed Diamantbeurs landmark.
Sustainable materials characterize Capital Kitchen’s open interiors to provide a restrained backdrop for the artwork on display, while concrete pillars serve as base notes and white walls reflect natural light. The restaurant’s central bar is installed below a sculpture of disassembled human skeleton by Dutch artist Joep van Lieshout that amplifies Spruyt’s inner self theme. A melted disco ball serves as a showstopper above the balustrade on the mezzanine as well.
In addition to focal points like the central salmon pink staircase conceived by Bas van Tol of local studio MüllerVanTol or a stainless steel open kitchen, Capital Kitchen anchors guests in an immersive visual experience, where each table boasts hypnotic tabletops that showcase highly magnified, cellular renderings of human organs from the esophagus to the genitals. “From the moment you read a menu, neurons in your brain activate,” Spruyt says. “I really wanted to give visible form to this on the tabletops. And while you eat, your salivary glands are active, so I also wanted to portray that beauty on a few of the tables.” Characterized by organic forms, seating by designer Maarten Baas—each with its own unique backrest—serves a gentle complement to the dramatic work throughout the interior.
More from HD:
Bunkhouse Scales Up Under Standard International’s Umbrella
Tour Hard Rock Hotel New York With Designer Jeffrey Beers
5 Renovation Projects Breathe New Life Into Storied Landmarks