Water colours on stone: Restaurant Enigma by RCR Arquitectes

It all began with A1 sheets of paper and freehand water-colour designs that clearly show the texture of the blueish grey colours in the abstract patterns for the restaurant floors and walls. Later on the designs were reproduced on sintered stone in a patented digital printing process.

The design of the restaurant is based on the principle of uniformity and consistency. The worktops in the kitchen, the walls in the bar plus the surfaces on the tables and even in the restrooms are clad in slabs of the printed sintered stone. The result is a flowing feeling of space further underscored by the curved walls and semi-transparent room divides of the interior.

The material used in the slabs consists of loam, feldspar, siliceous earth and natural mineral oxides. Once it has been sintered, it is extremely fine-pored, making it hygienic, scratch-proof and UV-resistant and thus also suitable for exterior facades. Moreover, thanks to the composition of the material, the slabs can be recycled once they reach the end of their service life.