Kämp Bar

The bar at Hotel Kämp is an iconic cocktail lounge with a history going back to 1887. Fyra’s mission was to renew the bar while honouring its history and doing justice to its international stature.

Client
Kämp

Location
Helsinki

Year
2020

Photography
Riikka Kantinkoski

Expertise Hospitality Design

Details

Background

The aim was to build a uniform solution where the different spaces – the bar, lobby and brasserie – would complement one another naturally. The renovation of the brasserie will serve as the finishing touch. The starting point for the work is functionality, through the lens of which the whole service chain was reconsidered.

Strategy & Delivery

The flow of customers and staff in the main room was rethought by visually opening the entrance into the bar and the brasserie. The lobby space and bar serve as extensions of the brasserie in busy moments such as the breakfast rush by benefiting from additional seats. Furthermore, the custom-fitted furniture in the bar was designed to suit many different situations and the bar space can remain open and usable even when the bar is closed.

The traditions and history of Kämp played a central role in the design work. While the space was fully renovated, old parts were also kept. The old chairs from the bar were restored and crystal chandeliers were resituated. Lighting played an important part in the remodeling work. It serves to underline the uniqueness of the space and can be easily changed to set the appropriate mood at different times of day, whether for breakfast or the evening.

An emphasis was placed on precious materials that age beautifully, such as brass, mahogany and marble. Victor Andrén’s painting A Party at Kämp has found a new, more central position above the bar. The head waiter’s table was moved to the location of the former hotel reception.