Our client: food connoisseur, chef and owner of Bahrain’s premium delicatessen store. His vision: to create an upscale industrial restaurant bar where his imported high-quality speciality ingredients from around the world would come together under his creative direction, in a warehouse chic environment, to deliver a gastronomic experience unique to Bahrain.
An atmospheric and refined industrial style space with an organic, lived-in feel and the perfect play of contrast between sleek modernity and timeworn charm. Taking cues from foundries, factories and warehouses, the project has been designed with the highest degree of customisations, thoughtfully sourced materials and meticulous lighting throughout.
With its raw yet polished down-to-earth aesthetic, The Foundry’s interiors deliver an experience that is as boundary-pushing for Bahrain as the food itself. The restaurant and bar quickly became a social hub for sophisticated local and expat clientele, and the “go-to” place for visitors. We also designed a roof terrace for more restaurant seating, a second bar and kitchen, and a live cooking barbeque station for the client to expand his operations a few months after The Foundry’s opening and instant success.
We developed a concept with an edgy urban appeal drawing references from the bare bones of warehouses, the pipework and structural elements of industrial plants, and the dramatic lighting, shadows and red glow of molten metal in foundries. Stripped back architectural details - visible steel beams, ductwork, and pipes - are turned into showpieces achieving a look that seems unfinished, but cohesive. A textural interplay of distressed and lustrous metal elements, exposed and polished concrete surfaces, aged red brick walls and grainy earthy wood, is accentuated across all 4 floors of the restaurant establishment.
Upon stepping off palm tree and sand lined streets and through an understated black entrance, guests instantly begin their journey. Greeted by a “members only” vibe reception, they are guided through the elevator to their level of choice. The open-plan restaurant on the 2nd level introduces a utilitarian fuss-free statement, with an inviting combination of gentle curves and wood amongst hard-edged masculine forms and materials. Custom-made booth seating and sofas are upholstered in royal blue leather with diamond and channel tufting. Bespoke oak tables add warmth by softening the roughness of metal and brick. The kitchen is tucked away behind a feature blackboard wall enclosing a stainless-steel opening for a glimpse behind the scenes.
Down one floor, the bar becomes a place to gather, dance, meet new people and grow a community. Multiple light sources, creating variable luminance against red brick and mat black surfaces, evoke a dramatic but at the same time relaxed ambience. At the back, a small dimly lit recess with a signature pipe chandelier provides a cosy, more secluded seating area.
A dedicated keg room with a long-draw draft system delivers beer from the kegs directly to your glass through a run of insulated beer lines enclosed in a visible feature gold pipe which travels across the ceiling and down to the draft tower. Another dash of mechanized sophistication is the custom-made bar with bespoke piston-like bar stools. The bar mimics the structure of steel die casting moulds with interlocking components fitted together with nuts and bolts.
Apart from the restaurant chairs and some light fittings, all other furniture, fixtures and luminaires are tailor-made for the project. A signature element running throughout the whole concept is the use of exposed black steel pipes which have been seamlessly welded into customised designs for a variety of light fixtures, chandeliers, benches, counters and balustrades.
Echoing the exposed brick opposite, galvanized steel doors framed between wooden herringbone wall panelling lead to the bathrooms. Matte black metal wash basins, glossy wall tiles and an exposed geometric installation of copper pipes, components and red lever ball valves make the space feel rough; while backlit angled mirrors and focused lighting around the walls create a comforting glow.
A traditional handheld meat mincer has become the trademark visual of The Foundry, from signage applications to lighting and decorative details. The oak dining tables have been personalised with cast iron inlays of butcher knives and meat mincers following the traditional foundry casting process - melting metal into a liquid, pouring the molten metal into a mould, and removing the mould material after the metal has cooled and solidified.
Urban American bistro The Foundry has had everyone talking in the few months since it opened...Red brick walls, exposed steel beams and leather seats meet you at every corner – this industrial décor, reminiscent of a New York loft apartment, is just one of the reasons the venue is quickly becoming one of Bahrain’s hottest spots… We’ve been waiting for a place like this to open.
- Critic Review
Finally a restaurant with a character. I really like the industrial feel of the place, it is really a novelty in Bahrain where all upper class restaurants look the same… The decoration is great, with big copper pipes actually being used to bring beer from storage to tap, rather than just being a decoration.
- Customer Review
