Sliding and Lighting: The Parkside

Architects Rosenbergs arkitekter and interior designer Ivan Akabaliev created a room situation that changes with just a few hand movements for the restaurant The Parkside at the Stockholm exhibition center. The restaurant appears airier and lighter after an extensive conversion.

Stockholm's exhibition center adapted its culinary program to suit the different needs of visitors for a quick snack or a business lunch in a smaller setting. The Parkside Restaurant with its 850 covers was thus given a new concept and a modern refurbishment. The greatest challenge facing architect Ivan Akabaliev lay in making flexible use of the huge expanse and the room itself light and airy. Chandeliers with flowery patterns and ceiling spot lamps provide basic illumination that adapts to suit the circumstances. A "wallwasher" bathes walls and furnishings in freely selectable colored light and adds a special touch to any occasion.

A mobile partition wall equipped with HAWA Variotec 150 GV hardware provides the necessary flexibility as it divides the large room into small zones as and when required. The Parkside could rename itself "ParkSlide"; it is, after all, a prime example of the use of sliding hardware systems: a sliding swing door separates the room from the lounge, and a flexible wall separates the veranda area where the restaurant opens up to the park through sliding doors.