Interview about Amar Beirut Restaurant, winner of the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award 2024
The Norblin Factory, a 2-hectare site in Warsaw's Wola district, holds a unique history. Formerly neglected, it's now a bustling city hub featuring offices, shops, restaurants, cafes, Food Town, an eco-bazaar, a boutique cinema, and an open-air museum. This museum commemorates the history of one of the largest industrial enterprises in the former Kingdom of Poland. Notably, the factory's main production area, once dedicated to cutlery, has been transformed into a distinctive restaurant, seamlessly blending the industrial past with modern spaces.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsThe creative journey behind transforming the Norblin Factory’s main production area into Amar Beirut was rooted in the idea of honoring the site’s industrial legacy while introducing the warmth and sensory richness of Lebanese culture. For us, it was essential not to erase the past, but to reinterpret it — to allow the spirit of Warsaw’s industrial heritage to coexist with the vibrant soul of Beirut.We approached the design as a dialogue between two worlds: the raw, historic structure with its exposed brick, steel, and patina, and the refined elegance of contemporary Middle Eastern hospitality. Every design decision reflected this balance — from the preserved textures of the original factory walls to the modern interventions, such as floating flooring systems, warm lighting, and sculptural details that echo the rhythm of the old machinery lines.This fusion aimed to create an immersive journey where guests feel the layered history of the space while enjoying the sensual, emotional experience of Lebanese dining. It’s not just a restaurant — it’s a story of transformation, where Warsaw’s industrial strength meets Beirut’s poetic soul, creating a space that feels both familiar and inspiringly new.
The pixel light technology at Amar Beirut was conceived as a bridge between history and innovation — a way to reinterpret Lebanese decorative tradition through a contemporary lens. In Lebanese culture, geometric patterns and ornamental motifs play a strong symbolic role, often found in architecture, metalwork, and textiles. We wanted to preserve that essence, but in a modern, experiential way.So, we reimagined these traditional patterns as illuminated pixel modules integrated into the ceiling panels. Each LED element was programmed to create a dynamic yet refined play of light, transforming the space throughout the day — from a soft, intimate glow during dining hours to a vibrant rhythm that energizes the evening atmosphere. This approach allowed us to merge cultural authenticity with advanced technology, turning the ceiling into both a sculptural feature and a storytelling canvas that honors heritage while embracing modernity.
The suspended cutlery installation was directly inspired by the Norblin Factory’s remarkable past as one of the most prominent cutlery producers in Europe during the 1800s, crafting exquisite pieces from silver and copper. We wanted to pay tribute to this heritage in a poetic, contemporary way — not by displaying old artifacts, but by transforming the essence of the factory’s craft into an artful, floating sculpture.Each suspended element symbolizes both the precision of industrial production and the elegance of fine dining. The installation creates a visual dialogue between the building’s original purpose and its new identity as a Lebanese restaurant. It’s a gesture of respect to the craftsmen of the past, while also connecting guests emotionally to the story of transformation — from manufacturing silverware to serving culinary artistry.
From the very beginning, our research for Amar Beirut went far beyond restaurant design — we approached it with the mindset of curating an experience, much like designing a contemporary museum. We studied how museums choreograph movement, use lighting to guide emotion, and celebrate cultural artifacts without overwhelming the viewer. This influenced our entire spatial strategy for the 550-square-meter venue.We treated each zone — from the entrance to the dining halls and bar — as a sequence of “exhibits,” each telling part of the story of Beirut’s culture and craftsmanship. The materials were chosen with the same curatorial precision: raw concrete and preserved steel to honor the industrial shell, balanced with warm woods, brass, and textured stone to reflect Lebanese authenticity. This duality — industrial and artisanal — allowed us to achieve a timeless composition where every surface, pathway, and object contributes to the narrative of heritage meeting modern sophistication.
The ceramic tile patterns were one of the most meaningful design layers in Amar Beirut, as they carry deep roots in Middle Eastern architecture and storytelling. Our goal was to reinterpret these traditional motifs without creating visual conflict with the industrial character of the Norblin Factory. The challenge was to let both worlds — the crafted and the raw — coexist in harmony.We selected tiles with subtle geometric rhythms inspired by Lebanese heritage but executed them in a muted, earthy palette that complements the factory’s aged brick and steel. Instead of covering large surfaces, we used them as curated highlights — framing specific areas such as the bar, floor inlays, and feature walls — almost like fragments of cultural memory within a modern industrial frame. This approach allowed the tiles to become moments of warmth and identity amid the robust structure, celebrating the dialogue between craftsmanship and history, rather than letting one overpower the other.
Designing the custom furniture for Amar Beirut was an exercise in balance — between function, comfort, and the curatorial aesthetic that defines the space. Since the overall concept carries a museum-like atmosphere, every piece of furniture had to feel intentional, almost like an exhibit in itself, yet remain inviting and comfortable for long dining experiences.We achieved this by designing bespoke pieces that merge sculptural form with ergonomic logic. The materials — a mix of solid wood, brass, and fine upholstery — were chosen for their tactile richness and timeless appeal, echoing both the warmth of Lebanese hospitality and the industrial refinement of the Norblin Factory. Each chair, table, and banquette was proportioned to respect spatial flow and visual rhythm, ensuring the furniture enhances, rather than interrupts, the architectural story. In this way, functionality became part of the narrative — discreet, elegant, and deeply human.
Transforming Amar Beirut within the historic structure of the Norblin Factory was both inspiring and technically demanding. The building’s age and industrial complexity brought many unexpected challenges — from preserving the original structural elements and ensuring proper heating, ventilation, and acoustic performance, to integrating the existing machinery into a fully functional hospitality layout.One of the greatest difficulties was adapting a space never intended for a restaurant into one that could support modern kitchen operations while maintaining the architectural integrity of the site. Every intervention required precision and respect for the original fabric — we couldn’t simply conceal the past; we had to build around it. Balancing engineering constraints with the poetic narrative of the design became a true collaboration between creativity and technical discipline. In the end, these limitations shaped the project’s character, making the final result even more authentic and deeply rooted in the building’s story.
Integrating live music into Amar Beirut was essential to capturing the spirit of Lebanese culture — vibrant, emotional, and deeply communal. However, doing so within a former industrial factory posed a major acoustic challenge. The original structure had high ceilings, hard surfaces, and metallic echoes, all of which could easily overpower the warmth we wanted to achieve.We approached the sound design with the same care as the visual composition. Acoustic panels were discreetly integrated into the ceiling and wall claddings, while soft furnishings, layered draperies, and textured materials helped absorb and diffuse sound. The performance area was positioned strategically to create a natural flow of music through the dining zones without overwhelming conversation. In the end, the acoustics became part of the design language — balancing the energy of live performance with the intimacy of fine dining, and turning the industrial space into a stage for cultural storytelling.
The rooftop of Amar Beirut was conceived as a natural continuation of the story told inside the restaurant — a place where the energy of Beirut meets the skyline of Warsaw. We wanted the experience to evolve vertically: guests ascend from the historical, industrial narrative of the main hall into a lighter, more contemporary atmosphere that still speaks the same cultural language.To achieve this, we used materials and tones that echo the interior palette — warm metals, natural stone, and soft ambient lighting — but introduced more open, breathable compositions to connect with the surrounding city. Subtle Arabic geometric patterns appear in the furniture detailing and railing designs, linking back to the Lebanese identity without overpowering the industrial context. The result is a rooftop that feels both urban and soulful, maintaining continuity with the heritage below while offering guests a new sensory chapter — one of openness, light, and cultural reflection.
Receiving the Gold A’ Design Award for Amar Beirut is both an honor and a responsibility. For me, this project represents more than a successful design — it’s a statement about how we can approach cultural preservation in a modern, relevant way. Amar Beirut shows that heritage and innovation don’t have to compete; they can coexist beautifully when treated with respect and intention.I hope this project encourages future designers to see adaptive reuse not as a constraint, but as an opportunity to tell new stories within old walls. By blending authentic cultural expression with contemporary functionality, we can create spaces that feel timeless — places where people connect emotionally with history while enjoying the comfort and creativity of modern design. My vision is that projects like Amar Beirut will inspire a new wave of design thinking — one that values identity, sustainability, and the poetry of transformation.
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