The ÄNG restaurant at the vineyard Ästad Vingård in Sweden’s Halland county has reopened after extensive redesign. In 2022, ÄNG welcomed its first guests after a transformation carried out by the Danish firm Norm Architects and the Japanese-Scandinavian firm Karimoku Case Study. The goal of the transformation was to create a calm, peaceful setting with a culinary focus that offers the diners an evening of pleasure and surprises.
ÄNG has been awarded the prestigious Michelin Green Star in recognition of its dedication to sustainability.
Restaurant – Halland, Sweden
Architect: Norm Architects
Interior designer: Karimoku Case Study and Keiji Ashizawa
Photographer: Jonas Bjerre
Layers Oak
Thickness: 19 mm. Width: 300 mm. Length: 2–5 m.
Finish: Light Oil
ÄNG invites nature in. The Swedish word ‘äng’ means ‘meadow’, and the restaurant is named after its surroundings. The building rises out of the waving grassland in a Swedish meadow where water, rocks and trees dot the wide open landscape. With inspiration from a greenhouse, the restaurant is built entirely from glass, from floor to ceiling, and offers spectacular 360-degree views of the natural and ever-changing Halland scenery.
Nature is an essential aspect of the restaurant’s architecture, interior and materials, with all elements carefully selected and made from natural resources. This focus shapes the guest’s journey through the restaurant. The strong link between outside and inside is underscored as the guests step from the stones outside onto the stone floor inside, which acts as a direct continuation of the restaurant’s natural setting. The grey stone floor is balanced by furniture in solid oak from Karimoku and soft textile wall coverings from Kvadrat.
As the guests move further into the restaurant, wood comes to play a more central role. In the dining rooms, Dinesen Layers in Oak forms a harmonious background for the performance of the gastronomical third act.
‘I have been admiring the quality of Dinesen for many years. The wood is in perfect harmony with the building and location.’
– Daniel Carlsson, CEO, Ästad Vingård and ÄNG
The materials are carefully selected to achieve a good balance between the different sensory impressions and provide a well-rounded, harmonious experience.
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