Nouvelle cuisine: Restaurant lets history marinate, creates new mood

Brussels – A new restaurant designed by architecture and design agency Studio Arne Quinze creates a strong connection between past and present.

Kwint – the name refers to the five grand arched windows facing the street – is located in the Congress Palace, a stately complex inaugurated during the Brussels World’s Fair of 1958 and recently renovated to become a meeting centre for public and private events.

The restaurant is surrounded by custom-cut glass that fits perfectly into the existing space, allowing a certain lightness into the mid-century building. In addition, the shades of beige and sand borrow from the natural stone used throughout the building, echoing the past while a vivid metallic sculpture takes centre stage, tumbling into the future.