Heading to Art Basel in June? Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron recently finished work restoring a classic 1925 building in the heart of the city. Volkshaus Basel, a onetime concert hall now houses a bar, brasserie, and concert space, with a hotel coming soon. The world-renowned architects went to great lengths to restore the former grandeur of the space, which had been aesthetically compromised during a 1970s renovation. The architect's stripped the building back to its original frame (the ceilings had been lowered during the renovation), and restored the original height of the rooms while preserving as much of the original detailing as possible. Using a black and white palette, the decidedly modern decor successfully restores an air of Old World glamor. For more information, go to Volkshaus Basel.
Above: The design of the chairs are based on the original Volkshaus chair model.
Above: Bentwood stools arrayed in front of the bar.
Above: Thick hand blown LED pendants are a modern take on chandeliers.
Above: Metal-topped dining tables. The architects chose materials such as metal, leather, and wood, which will gain a weathered patina over time.
Above: A table setting with embossed leather cover.
Above: Wallpaper with seventeenth-century etchings are used in the antechambers of the restrooms and hark back to the early days of Basel, when this area was once a medieval manor.
Above: On the wall, a mural provides a guide to all the Volkshaus ventures.
N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on May 15, 2013.