
The Frantzén Group includes a collection of restaurants, bars, and gastronomic experiences by Björn Frantzén, in Sweden and around the world, and includes 3-star Restaurant Frantzén in Sweden — ranked as 25 on the 50 Best Restaurants list — and 3-star Zén in Singapore. Last week saw the opening of Studio Frantzén at the iconic Harrods in London — a two-floor restaurant and bar plus a mezzanine and a rooftop terrace with a Nordic concept and Asian influences in both food and décor.
— The UK was my home for a long time and London is a very important city to me, Frantzén comments.


The different rooms of the restaurant are described as layers to be discovered over time and the interior design, created by Swedish interior architecture studio Joyn, is based on guests’ movements throughout the space.
— Harrods is a conventional form of luxury and now, we can show what Scandinavian luxury can look like. The result is based on our beliefs and values of what luxury is; a combination of personal creativity and unique compositions, says Ida Wanler, creative director, Joyn Studio.
Her creative director colleague, Lisa Grape, shares how the inspiration comes from different directions such as the old forests of Sweden mixed with pop culture and the big city life.
— We wanted to create a world where guests can enter an experience filled with warmth, curiosity, humour, elegance, and flair, she says.

The reception welcomes the guests with influences of forest chapels and Scandinavian churches — a stripped-down space in a busy department store. The room is designed with light warm wood and includes a specially designed dome that shows motifs of Nordic nature, illustrated by the artist Ragnar Persson. The next room takes inspiration from a Japanese Izakaya square and sees an open kitchen, luxurious root veneer booths, and sofas made of grain wood with carved-out seats. An intarsia wall illustrated by the artist Emma Löfström shows a Swedish enchanted forest contrasting an urban city life together with a massive chandelier, specially designed by Front Studio. The next hall consists of a combination of loud and vibrant colours and artwork followed by a mezzanine, a place where guests are looking down on the square. Here, classically designed and hammered metal lamps give off a sparkling light to the room.
— By being able to handpick Swedish designers, artists, and illustrators early in the process, we not only had the time to specially design all the smaller details but also had the great possibility of creating this unique experience. The project has a really powerful feel to it given that so many other creative Swedes have been involved throughout the whole journey, says Helena Eliason, creative director, Joyn Studio.

