Frescohallen – ‘The Hall of Frescoes’ ­– is a contemporary repurposing and refurbishment of the exterior and interior of ‘Børsbyggningen’, a listed heritage building from 1862, resulting in a restaurant and bar.

All new interventions were required to ‘touch lightly’ (and be reversible). The original wall frescoes, depicting local trades, were painstakingly renovated and feature prominently inside, hence the new restaurant’s name.

The creation of distinct zones, while preserving the openness of the hall and its sightlines, was prioritized. A combination of stepped floor levels and customed-designed Kasthall carpet sections, separated by granite slabs for the busiest floor regions, were used to delineate the space. The ‘front of house’ zone features three custom-designed sofas installed around the grand columns.

The new mirror-clad bar with mezzanine above forms a central focal point while containing a VIP platform, seating guests amongst the columns and frescoes. The angled mirrors also function as railings while reflecting the frescoes down towards guests on the restaurant floor.

All furniture and floor coverings, including the ‘822’ bent-wood chair by Ton, were designed by the architects. All colours, including the large dots featured on the carpet, are referenced from the frescoes.

The rest of the entire city block behind holds the Hotel Bergen Børs, designed by Claesson Koivisto Rune Architects in 2017.

Photographer credits: Hans Jorgen Brun, Sigurd Fandango, Dag Sandven