Hilma Restaurant

How do you create a restaurant that feels pioneeringly decadent, yet warm and welcoming at the same time? A visit at Hilma in Stockholm will give you the answer.

Here, Tengbom’s interior design studio displayed its most innovative side, while care for the client and the visitor can be seen in every little detail.

“It is a holistic experience. Our work has included using multiple layers, extensive detail and contrasting materials and artwork. This restaurant is one fantastic roller coaster ride. Here you’ll find beauty and grotesqueness, innovation and something quite different”, says Nadia Tolstoy, who is an interior designer and also took on the role of creative director for the assignment.

Cosy with an edge

The client, Generator Hostel, which has a portfolio full of design-driven hostels in trendy cities, has become known for not shying away from full-on interiors, and it was also from this that the “decadence and fetishism brief” emerged. But how do you design a “decadent interior”? And how do you combine that with the other clear desire, that Hilma should be a warm and cosy neighbourhood restaurant where everyone should feel welcome?

The solution was to zoom out a bit, and look at the world of art and fashion to see how they tackle subcultures. One clear inspiration was the artist Hilma Af Klint. The interior design circle around a contemporary Klint figure who creates tattoos with occult elements, shakes curative drinks and is a cruel figure in the DJ booth. To balance this out and create a sense of the artist’s superb treatment of colour, unexpected details are combined with warm, inviting fabrics, powdery colours and plenty of humour.

The balance is the be-all and end-all

The restaurant is divided into clear zones and a great deal of the interior design is specially aimed at being adapted to the brief and the premises.

“When the customer comes to us with a vision of an environment that really stands out, you cannot just use ready-made solutions”, says Sara Persson, the interior designer in charge, who has designed everything from beds for people who want to eat lying down, splash-painted couches with stirrups, provocative light fittings, a cage that also functions as a VIP room and Instagram-friendly rope art installations.

At Hilma there is also a functioning tattoo studio as an important part of the concept. And not forgetting enticing vintage pinball machines and multi-coloured flooring. But there is also a trustworthy bar in the traditional way and quieter seating areas for people who have come for the dining experience.

Hilma stands out for its unique mix of action and calm. The same contrast defines the district where the restaurant is located—a quiet corner of the capital. At least for now.

“This summer, people will be able to eat outdoors, which is completely new for this area,” says Katya Högberg, architect at Tengbom and project lead. “Torsgatan is transforming into a pedestrian and cycle precinct, and the area will change significantly.”

“Generator often tends to choose central locations that are a little bit “unexpected”. It will be exciting to see the energy emerges when a new, hip restaurant opens that was adamant about recreating a small part of Stockholm”, she continues.

“It will create a ripple effect throughout the district. And this time, we will be helping”, concludes Nadia Tolstoy.