Tommy Myllymäki – Chef of the Year 2007, winner of Bocuse d’Or 2014 and much more – decided in 2015 to open a restaurant along with PG Nilsson, the founder of the restaurant group Svenska Brasserier, and one of Stockholm’s most prominent restaurateurs. On March 20, 2020, amid the worst Corona crisis, AIRA finally opened, with an extraordinary level of ambition! In this newsletter, you will see the results and be able to soak up the atmosphere with a focus on the architecture. If you want to see more of the details, click on the pictures and they will open in a larger format. Enjoy!
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NEWSLETTER 32


AIRA - a gastronomic art project

Tommy Myllymäki – Chef of the Year 2007, winner of Bocuse d’Or 2014 and much more – decided in 2015 to open a restaurant along with PG Nilsson, the founder of the restaurant group Svenska Brasserier, and one of Stockholm’s most prominent restaurateurs.

On March 20, 2020, amid the worst Corona crisis, AIRA finally opened, with an extraordinary level of ambition! In this newsletter, you will see the results and be able to soak up the atmosphere with a focus on the architecture.

If you want to see more of the details, click on the pictures and they will open in a larger format.

Enjoy!


Jonas Bohlin’s first project from A to Z

AIRA is located at Biskopsudden on the island Djurgården at the inlet to Stockholm. The lot had been empty since the autumn of 2009 when the restaurant “Lisa på Udden” was destroyed in a fire. The building rights were acquired by Kvalitena AB, who along with Svenska Brasserier and Tommy Myllymäki presented plans to build a gourmet restaurant beyond the ordinary – completely from scratch.

But PG Nilsson had a condition for joining the project; he insisted that Jonas Bohlin would design both the building and the interior. The project became Jonas’ first that included full responsibility for landscape, building, lighting, and interior design. Although he has led and been responsible for the project, it has been a collaboration where others have produced construction and procurement documents as well as design in special areas such as glass, textiles, forging, etc. At the end of the newsletter, all parties involved in the project will be presented.


The ladies from the roof are watching

The sculptures “Ladies on the Roof” previously stood on the roof of the Academy of Fine Arts on Fredsgatan 12 in downtown Stockholm, and represent the four art forms: painting, architecture, sculpture, and graphics. They were taken down in 2008 when it was judged that weather, wind, and air pollution had made them a safety hazard. The Academy had new copies made in bronze and cast at the Fonderia Artistica Mapelli north of Milan, Italy. The new ladies were installed on the roof in 2019. Jonas had acquired the original statues that have been erected by the shore to watch over AIRA and Stockholm’s inlet.


The first sketch on the napkin comes to life

On a first visit to the site, Jonas pictured a rough shipyard building with two other buildings – a machine shop and a boat building hall. On his way home, he sketched his design on a napkin, which then became the starting point for the entire project.

The building has been given a coastal architecture theme inspired by the archipelago’s four seasons and changing colors. AIRA is designed with the intention of the exterior and interior connected as one artistic unit. The parts made of oak and larch are expected to fade over time and blend in with the light concrete mixed with ash. The material choices are Corten (weathering steel), stainless steel, concrete, glass, and wood, and are adapted to withstand the impact of nature in an exposed environment near water. Everything is created to last a long time and age with dignity.


 


Building and interior in the footsteps of food

AIRA’s food is locally grown with careful consideration for Sweden’s local culinary knowledge and traditions. The same goes for the building and the interior. All materials originate from and are manufactured in Sweden. Sourcing locally was important so that the competence can be retained in the country. The materials were chosen to have as little environmental impact as possible regarding both manufacturing and transport as well as future maintenance.


If you are just a little hungry, you are welcome to the bar

The bar is located at the gable facing the water and has its own entrance which is open during the warmer season. This room is for drop-ins only, and guests sit comfortably with the feeling of an orangery, but outdoors. A light bar menu is available from the kitchen with full access to the ARIA’S drinks list.

 


Add your own boat

If you arrive on your own boat at Biskopsuddens Marina, you can dock at AIRA’s own moorings along the building’s two naves.


The entrance takes you from land to sea

The entrance is equivalent to a quiet break between the two building structures but still has constant activity from the food preparation in the Corten building to the kitchen and dining room.

The rough pleated ceiling resembles waves and Gun Gordillo’s neon lighting is portrayed as crests on the waves. The wave movement begins as a rain cover outside the entrance, continues into the building and out through the facade towards the marina. Like a connection between land and sea.

 


Dinner in the kitchen

The open kitchen is directly adjacent to the large dining room. At AIRA, the gastronomic experience is focused on Nordic produce using traditional cooking techniques. As part of the mission to make the unique experience at AIRA more accessible, the restaurant offers both an à la carte and a tasting menu. The staff consists of around 30 employees - distributed throughout the kitchen and restaurant – who serve around 50 guests in the various areas.

Those who want to experience cooking up close can book a table for up to 10 guests in the center of the kitchen. Outside the restaurant’s opening hours, the table is used for staff meetings.


See everything at once

As you step in through the doors from the entrance to the kitchen, the eye takes a journey of discovery through the nave’s various rooms. It begins with the kitchen, then the dining room, over to the orangery, on to the bar, and finally to the water and the Stockholm inlet. During your stay, you will have the opportunity to experience all the different rooms.

 


The story of a chair called Saga

The model was created by furniture designer Åke Axelsson and they once stood at the Operakällaren restaurant in Stockholm. When the restaurant was modernized in 2005 the chairs was replaced. Jonas contacted Åke Axelsson for a collaboration that resulted in the chair known as SAGA, which is manufactured by Gärsnäs. At AIRA, the generous chair is available in two heights, as we humans tend to come in different sizes.

The glass screens for the suspended lighting over the tables are all unique with designs by Jonas Bohlin and Ann Wåhlström. They are produced in an edition of 54 numbered copies, twelve of which hang in AIRA’s dining room.


A well-subdued dining room with natural materials

Despite a large room with many hard materials, the large hall offers a good acoustic environment. Some of the roof’s wood panels are perforated to absorb sound. Also, the panels have different thicknesses to attenuate different frequencies of sound. The large glass wall has angled glass panes to diffuse sound.In front hang three-dimensional draperies that have been developed in a collaboration between Christine Ingridsdotter and textile artist Diana Orving. The drapery's pattern has waves, like the sea, something that is repeated in more interior details.

The decor is classic Bohlin with copper and brass (so out of vogue according to the latest furniture fairs, but so right and timeless here!): natural stone, leather, velvet, and wood and tiles that have become Jonas’ hallmark. The shiny black tile that was left in Jonas’ sample box had been discontinued from Höganäs’ range but was taken back into production to be delivered to AIRA.

 


The orangery with a view to the space

Beyond the large glass wall facing the water is the Orangery, which breaks off the dining room’s sober elegance and goes more towards playful punk. Here you and your party can gather for a cocktail before dinner. The room is an extension of the bar outside. Enjoy a glass of wine or avec as you gaze at the stars through the large skylight.

The giant chandelier Andromida is made in three copies by Örsjö lighting. Two are in this room while the third is owned by Jonas and saved for future exhibitions.

The bowls of the silversmith Sebastian Schildts (below) have a pin down in the table top and are placed in equal formation of the constellation above the skylight. They are removable and can be moved to a serving tray as the black one with two bowls. The small windowpanes feature various glasses created by Jonas Bohlin which break off and bring the light to life during the day.

 


A private dining room

Upstairs, overlooking the large dining room, there is a separate room for parties of up to 14 guests. In this secluded room, food and drinks are served from the regular menu, but it is also possible to customize your own events. During the warm season, there is access to the adjoining roof terrace for, a cocktail reception, for example.

 
About Jonas Bohlin

Jonas Bohlin is a designer and interior architect. He was born in Stockholm in 1953, graduated in 1974 as a civil engineer, and in 1981 as an interior designer at the University of Arts, Crafts and Design where he occasionally also worked as a professor. At the University of Arts, Crafts and Design, he was noted for his provocative thesis, Concrete, a chair in concrete and steel that is today considered one of Sweden’s foremost design classics.

Bohlin’s work ranges from object design, installations, and architecture. He has designed a number of classic restaurants in Stockholm such as Rolf’s Kök, Sturehof, Riche, and Luzette. He takes an artist’s approach to his work, is timeless in his design with a pronounced, highly personal style. All of this permeates AIRA down to the smallest screw.
AIRA Project Group

Developer

Responsible architect


Responsible interior designer


Managing architect




Responsible ground projector



Responsible
textile

Biskopsuddens Fastighetsförvaltning AB

Jonas Bohlin Arkitektkontor AB
Jonas Bohlin

Jonas Bohlin Arkitektkontor AB
Jonas Bohlin

Dinell Johansson AB
Kalle Dinell
Montsant Permiquel
Constanse Marraud

Nivå Landskapsarkitektur AB
Göran Lindberg
Marc de Decker

Christine Ingridsdotter
 
Other participants
Åke Axelsson - furniture designer

Diana Orving - textile artist

Gun Gordillo - lighting artist

Cecilia Kraitz - ceramist

Sebastian Schildt - silversmith

Ann Wåhlström - glass artist


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Lasse Olsson Photo photographing and filming architecture, interior design, and lighting. My newsletter is published 6–8 times a year and presents photographed projects as well as reports from furniture fairs in Stockholm and Milan.

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