Swedish architecture practice Claesson Koivisto Rune used midnight-blue surfaces and "dreamlike" wall illustrations to create a timeless aesthetic inside this Stockholm bar.
Portal bar has been decked out in dark hues to contrast the "blonde and bright" interiors of the already established Portal restaurant next door, which opened back in 2016 under the helm of chef Klas Lindberg.

Located 10 minutes outside of Stockholm's city centre, the restaurant offers a menu of seasonal dishes, while Portal bar provides a more casual setting where guests can snack on small plates and drink Nordic craft beers, cocktails, or biodynamic wines.
A huge arched portal that looks through to a townhouse-lined street divides the two venues, lending them their name. Claesson Koivisto Rune ? which was charged with developing the bar's interiors ? was keen to avoid any colours and materials that have become "trendy" in design like pink or white marble, so decided to paint all of the bar's surfaces a shade of deep blue.

"It's super important for a customer to come in and think 'is this new, or is this five years old"'. [The bar] exists outside of time, it was just very important for it to have that warm feeling," Eero Koivisto, co-founder of the studio, told Dezeen.
"Much thought has gone into creating a contained spatial flow and unity in what used to be two different shops."

Interest is added by illustrations across the ceiling and walls by...