Naturalness in beer glasses and the design

Anders Busk Faarborg – designer, TV presenter and owner of the design company All That Matters (ATM) – has designed the interior of the ÅBEN beer bar in the heart of Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city.

Here, home-brewed beer and the design of the bar go hand in hand. And considerable care and attention have also been devoted to the acoustics.

The ÅBEN beer bar is situated in the heart of Aarhus – and the doors to its charming premises at Rosensgade 28 opened in September 2020. The bar serves beer from its own brewery, and guests can taste the different brews in the welcoming surroundings designed by Anders Busk Faarborg, designer, TV presenter of home makeover programmes and owner of the design company All That Matters (ATM). The starting point was an empty, old room which basically resembled a shop. The task was to transform it into an ÅBEN beer bar.

“It was important that the bar shouldn’t feel like a shop, but a place which conveys ÅBEN’s values – honesty, homeliness and that beer is for everyone. Home-brewed beer is all about quality and good ingredients, and this should be reflected in the choice of materials,” says Anders Busk Faarborg, Design Director at ATM.

Organic layout

All the surfaces in the ÅBEN beer bar have been carefully designed and treated, but without making them look too new or highly polished. Chairs have been mixed and matched, for example, to avoid excessive uniformity. And ‘organic’ has been the overarching principle inspiring the choice of materials. The bar, for example, is built of brick, while solid wood and terrazzo tiles have also been used.

“The style is Scandinavian, calm and not at all fancy. We’ve wanted to create an honest look. The idea is that it’s a somewhere that you want to be, and it’s proving extremely popular with the public,” says Anders Busk Faarborg.

A pleasant acoustic experience

A lot of thought and care has also gone into the acoustics, explains Anders Busk Faarborg.

“As the bar is a compact room where lots of people gather at the same time, it made obvious sense to choose Troldtekt in order to ensure good acoustics. Moreover, beer is an organic product, and it ties in well with the other organic materials, such as the Troldtekt cement-bonded wood wool panels.

The design solution Troldtekt line with longitudinal milled grooves in natural wood was chosen for ÅBEN.

“Troldtekt line was interesting for us to work with, because the lines add something new to the room and make it appear larger than it really is. The ceiling is more than just a surface – it’s an interesting design feature,” adds Anders Busk Faarborg.

Greater focus on acoustics

Anders Busk Faarborg believes that, in future, the restaurant business will focus to a much greater extent on sound levels and acoustics. Quite simply because an acoustically uncomfortable environment can spoil an otherwise positive dining experience.

“Acoustics were not something that many restaurant-goers gave much thought to ten years ago, but this has changed. You can also read reviews where it says that although the food was delicious, the overall experience was marred by the poor acoustics,” he says.