Design and football meet in Stuttgart thanks to today's featured project designed by the renowned Ippolito Fleitz Group. VfB Stuttgart - launched in 1893 - is the tradition-steeped football club of the state capital of Baden-Württemberg. In the immediate vicinity of its stadium is the club’s restaurant. The »1893« is designed as a meeting place for fans after the game, the best place to watch live football on TV, while at the same time establishing itself as a top culinary address. This remit has been realised by establishing precisely defined zones with very different atmospheres. The history of the club is the overriding theme and runs through the entire space. The story is told using a range of football-related resources: from autograph cards and club devotional objects to a ceiling graphic of quotes from players. Opposite the entrance stands a reception desk, behind which a filter of wooden lamellae partially obscures a long, high table with accompanying bar stools.

The atmosphere in the adjacent bar area is equally open, informal and communicative. A glass ceiling lets in daylight and the walls are unpretentiously clad in wood-wool slabs, painted in dark colours. The wall covering also serves as an interactive spatial element: Fan clubs can display their devotion to VfB by pinning their club pennants here. Behind the bar is a more private, secluded room with an oval regulars’ table. The wall between contains a display case for changing exhibitions on the club’s history, in which the exhibits on display continue the stories from the latest stadium newspaper. The fan area is located along the long, back wall with its view of the kitchen through a wide strip of window. This is where the fans symbolically meet their heroes at eye level. The centre of the space houses the VIP area. It is elevated on a wooden podium and separated from the rest of the room by a circumferential seating bench, upholstered in artificial leather. The arrangement of colours refers to the VfB strip with its striking, red breast ring. Thirteen large flat screen TVs are positioned to ensure good visibility from every seat, creating an optimum visual and acoustic experience for watching the game live. The »1893« is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional football clubhouse. It tells the story of the football club, embraces its fans and is also a first-class culinary destination.

INFO: ifgroup.org

PHOTO COURTESY: Zooey Braun