Bars & Leisure Focus: Q&A
with Erik Nissen Johansen if Stylt
Words by Toby Maxwell
Please tell us a little about the Stylt story, and about your own role within the business?
Stylt is a multi-award-winning branding and design agency, founded in 1988 by myself in Gothenburg, Sweden. My role today is creative director, also founder and owner.
We started as an innovative and unconventional art collective, inspired by the Renaissance’s ideas of creativity, innovation and cross-border collaboration. Today, we work globally within the hospitality and experience industry with a mix of large chains and small entrepreneurs. Although we’re probably best known for our projects within the world of hotels and restaurants, our work also includes property development, offices and co-working spaces, themed attractions, resorts and destinations.
All our projects end up with attractive brands and striking interior design, but that is rarely where it all begins. For us, a strong design concept is always the result of extensive research and in-depth understanding of the premises and the local market, of the history and vision of a neighbourhood, a community, or a city. Storytelling is our tool for bringing places and brands to life, and a communicative resource that gives a genuine competitive advantage.
Erik Nissen Johansen
A Stylt-made narrative is the red thread of the concept, guiding every aspect of development, from brand positioning to final decoration. The result is consistent, engaging, memorable – and marketable – design and customer experiences with a sense of place. Our concepts are well insulated against fluctuating trends and can leverage the guest herself as a marketer and influencer. And therefore, we never shoot the film before we write the script.
How has the nature of projects in the F&B sector changed in recent times? Have clients’ requirements and expectations shifted significantly post-pandemic?
There are a few key things. We are in the middle of the post-pandemic celebration, so people want to have fun again. We see that restaurants with a strong experience argument are winners but, at the same time, it’s an uncertain world with prices on many things going up This leaves more room for casual dining – simple but still fun!
The aim behind the design choices at Chow Chase was to enable diners to enjoy a journey through time, place and taste
Can you tell us about the creative vision and process for Chow Chase in Karlstad and where it came from? How closely did you work with the client?
Our client is a self-made entrepreneur, and he had a super clear vision. He wanted to create a place that gave the experience of entering a different world, but to streamline the operation with a clever app where you order, pay and re-order. So we created a taste journey around this futuristic, turn-of-the-century world.
What design direction do you see for bar and leisure projects in the near future? What will be the likely priorities for designers and architects in this sector?
I think the best tip is more of everything; loud if you’re loud, more minimalist if that’s what you are. More eco if that’s your direction too. And, most definitely, ‘experience driven’ – we are, after all, entering the post-pandemic party.
www.stylt.se
Chow Chase
Karlstad, Sweden
IN THE small town of Karlstad, Sweden, a progressive restaurateur wanted Stylt to create a mind-blowing dining experience that offered a journey through time, place and taste. With a menu of tapas-sized favourites from all over the world, the ambition was to offer fun dining and total escapism for a broad audience.
Chow Chase’s bar area, where customers can enjoy a drink while absorbing the 1930s decor.
Food and drinks are ordered via a mobile app allowing guests to easily shape and change their experience during the meal. The Chow Chase brand was created along with the design concept to enhance the search for exciting tastes within the restaurant’s different settings.
The entrance to the restaurant is reminiscent of New York’s Art Deco era.
The interior design, created by Gothenburg-based Stylt, offers a contemporary take on New York during the 1920s/30s Art Deco era, a slightly surreal version of Paris and La Belle Époque, and a personal adaption of the Orient.
www.chowchase.se
