German steakhouse chain Maredo was founded in 1978. With around 50 restaurants nationwide, it is Germany’s market-leader in the steakhouse sector. To remain competitive and cash in on the prevailing steak and burger hype, Maredo opted for a radical interior makeover and profile enhancement.

　　1978年创建的Maredo餐饮连锁在德国共有五十余家分店，在德国牛排店中首当其冲。为了在当下的汉堡包和牛排热潮中保持竞争优势，Maredo委托我们操刀，帮其重焕新颜。

The restaurant chain is all about top quality. An important part of this promise is offering exceptionally high-quality meat, which Maredo sources straight from South America. We have put together a new interior concept that focuses on this key product and its origins, transforming quality into something much more tangible. The new materials and colour world is inspired by the raw material meat with its archaic connotations and intrinsic connection to fire. Its origins are condensed into the figure of the gaucho: the archetypal South American herdsmen. The essence of the gaucho is freedom, independence, a closeness to nature and a life lived on endless plains – and thus beef in its original, natural, unadulterated quality. The traditional gaucho poncho with its woven geometric pattern inspires the spatial elements that are formed from diamond and zigzag shapes and give the Corporate Architecture its high recognition value. It can be found in the floor tiles that were specially designed for Maredo, in the wallpaper on the walls, in the structure of the counter fronts and in the open, coffered wood ceiling. The materials world is characterised by living, natural surfaces such as wood and leather. Tree trunks and ropes, deployed as filter elements to zone the large space, and the traditional cast-iron barbecue grill are all references to the daily life and environment of the herdsman. Large-format photographs on the walls and bull horn and sombrero-shaped lights continue the spatial concept into the smallest detail.

　　Maredo对品质有着不二的追求，产自南美洲的高级牛肉便是其中的关键一环。我们在进行设计时抓住Maredo最为重要的一款食材，将其渊源和品质挖掘出来呈现给前来就餐的顾客。肉作为食材所散发的原始冲击力和它与火之间的固有联系给我们带来选材和调色的灵感。在南美洲高乔牧民身上，我们找到了演绎渊源的最佳语言。高乔牧民的形象激发人们对“自由”、“独立”、“接近自然”以及“无边无垠的广阔天地”等联想，从而体现出Maredo牛肉原始和天然的品质。我们从高乔牧民的传统服装和几何形态的纺织图案中提取出菱形和折线形态，将其映射到空间元素当中，使Maredo的企业建筑设计获得高度的识别度。这些形态被应用到特别为Maredo设计的地砖、挂毯、吧台，以及开敞的木质格栅天花板中。内饰选材注重天然特质，例如原木和真皮，并在大厅里采用树干和麻绳划分空间。配上传统的铸铁烤炉，让人仿佛置身于牧民的生活和自然环境当中。墙上张贴的大幅摄影作品，以及牛角和草帽形态的照明器材为整个空间添加进必要的细节。

Immediately adjacent to the entrance is a barbecue area with an open fire, which lets guests dive straight into an archaic ambience while whetting the appetite for grilled meat. The counter that is illuminated from beneath and a brass-clad hood give the generous barbecue area a qualitative and earthy feel, as well as functioning as the spatial translation of the Maredo quality promise concerning steak and its preparation. Opposite this area is a salad bar with a fresh and light appearance, which enters into a dialogue of opposites with the archaic nature of the charcoal fire. A long, open fire runs through the seating area furthest removed from the barbecue area at the very rear of the dining room, thereby guaranteeing a cosy, fireside atmosphere throughout the space. A balanced range of seating options – from a long, floating, marble table that can seat a good dozen people to more enclosed leather-upholstered berths in the rear areas of the restaurant – offers a variety of dining qualities, thus catering to guests’ differing gastronomic desires. Even the WC facilities have not been forgotten: with specially designed washbasins of raw, galvanised steel in the shape of a cattle trough and bright red WC partition walls.

　　火苗跳跃的烧烤区紧邻餐厅入口，顾客一进门就会被其感染，并且渲染出餐厅的原始气氛，勾起人对烤肉的食欲。吧台采用底部照明。黄铜打造的抽油烟机为宽敞的烤肉区赋予既高级又朴实的特质。这一特质也正是Maredo对食材和烹调方式的追求。烧烤区对面是一个沙拉吧。清新的沙拉吧设计与炉火的原始力量相得益彰。在就餐区域远离烧烤的位置有一个开敞的长条形壁炉，涌动的炉火给空间带来舒适的温暖氛围。餐桌的布局均衡，满足顾客的各种需求——既有能容纳十几个人同桌就餐的大理石桌，也有隐藏在餐厅深处的真皮包裹的雅座。我们在设计中甚至对卫生间也倾注了特别的精力。洗手池采用未经表面处理的镀锌钢，形态仿若饮马槽。隔段则涂抹鲜红的亮漆。

The new spatial concept has been implemented for the first time in the Berlin branch in ‘The Q’ mall, next to Berlin’s historic Gendarmenmarkt. The existing restaurant has been expanded to encompass a former post office branch next door, giving the new flagship restaurant almost 580 m² of floor space.

We employ a consistent design world for Maredo that centres on the South American gaucho to describe the core competences of the brand. Its visual and haptic implementation provide fresh ingredients for the brand’s new positioning.

　　这一全新的空间设计方案在柏林Gendarmenmarkt “The Q”分店首次应用实施。原来与老店相邻的邮局迁走，老店空间得以扩大，近580平方米的面积为建造全新的旗舰店提供了理想的基础。

　　通过从南美洲高乔牧民身上汲取灵感，运用相互呼应的构成设计，Maredo的品牌特质跃然眼前。我们用视觉和触觉的语言将Maredo围绕新鲜食材的全新定位呈现在顾客面前。

Edit by SAM