Dezeen Magazine

Form Us With Love creates waterfront beer garden for a Stockholm museum

Stockholm studio Form Us With Love has extended its beer exhibition at the city's Spritmuseum to include a venue for outdoor drinking (+ slideshow).

Ölbryggan project by Form us with love

Form Us With Love created the Ölbryggan as an addition to its laboratory-inspired exhibition that opened earlier this year inside the museum, located in an 18th-century naval building on the city's Djurgården island.

Situated beside the water, the new covered outdoor area provides more space for visitors to test a range of craft beers while making the most of the Swedish summer weather.

Ölbryggan project by Form us with love

Ölbryggan – which translates to "navy pier beer garden" – features rows of custom-built wooden benches supported by metal shelving units filled with plants.

"To be able to create a social space with an emphasis on dialogue, using wood, greens and the surrounding water feels very satisfactory in this tucked away, yet urban context," said Form Us With Love.

Ölbryggan project by Form us with love

The longest table runs down the centre, designed to encourage conversation between drinkers.

"It was really important for us that Ölbryggan became a place where people come together to share knowledge and taste," the studio said. "There are even conversation cards available with easy-to-grasp beer topics to get the conversation starting between brewers and between the brewers and the public."

Smaller, more intimate seating areas are located to one side and are divided by more modular shelves, while a higher table runs along the waterside.

Ölbryggan project by Form us with love

The bar at the back of the space serves 15 different micro-brewery beers from taps set into an metal panel, with each variety presented in a clear glass bottle on a shelf above.

A retractable fabric canopy can be pulled back in dry weather, helping to provide a completely different feel to the main exhibition indoors.

Ölbryggan project by Form us with love
Concept sketch and materials

"The Beer exhibition with the aesthetics of a laboratory – clean tiles and glass podiums – feels very rational and smart," said the studio. "As a contrast, Ölbryggan delivers the softer more genuine feel of a farm, slowly growing malt and perhaps a more human dialogue."

"You are surrounded by good people, edible plants, furniture in natural materials and a calming panoramic water front."

Different breweries will take over the taps throughout the summer, while beer-related bar snacks such as malt crisps and hops-corn will remain on the menu.