Acclaimed chef and restaurateur Sergio Herman has opened Le Pristine in Antwerp, a modern Italian restaurant set on the ground floor of a 1960s modernist building.

Conceived by Danish studio Space Copenhagen, the space’s interiors preserve elements of the building’s partially-demolished core while referencing the city’s rich artistic and architectural heritage.

‘From the outset we were fascinated by the renaissance architecture, history and the artists from the region,’ says Space Copenhagen co-founder Peter Bundgaard Rützou. To wit, classical Flemish artists inspired a palette of subdued reds, black, and sandy tones, while six-metre-high ceilings lend grandeur.

Meanwhile, a pair of courtyards cast natural light throughout the dining room: of these, one overlooks a neighbouring 17th-century mansion housing a boutique of Belgian fashion house Verso, who Herman partnered with to open the restaurant.

Space Copenhagen collaborated with fellow designers to realise their vision for the Antwerp restaurant, with bespoke pieces by Sabine Marcelis, Maarten Baas, and Frederik Molenschot adding warmth and personality to each room.

Lange Gasthuisstraat 13, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium

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