Gras uses "light-touch approach" to convert dockside warehouse

An over-century-old factory in Edinburgh has been sensitively renovated into a food hall by architecture studio Gras.

Previously housing the George Brown & Sons engineering works, the building in Leith has been adapted into a food hall containing restaurants and cafes, named Browns of Leith.

Industrial dining area — Gras used a pared-back colour palette nodding to the building's heritage

Gras founder Gunnar Groves-Raines aimed to modify the space while retaining the existing character and scale of the historic building.

"We have taken a deliberately light-touch approach, doing just enough to ensure the building can be warm, comfortable and intimate, while celebrating the scale and industrial nature of the spaces," Groves-Raines told Dezeen.

dining area — The building was originally used as a metalwork and engineering works for over a century

The high-ceilinged, open-plan space has exposed steel beams and columns, a rigging system and a concrete floor with a Jackson Pollock-style patina, forged over years of welding and painting.

"There's an honesty and an impressive but humble grandeur to the industrial spaces – in their structure, their materials and their proportions," Groves-Raines said.

Cafe kitchen area — Raw linen curtain have been used to partition the space

The space contains several independent food and drink retailers including Cafe Haze, an oyster bar named ShrimpWreck and Civerinos pizza restaurant.

The colour palette of Browns of Leith nods to the building's heritage, using raw and neutral materials, such as stainless steel furniture, a rough stone bar and raw linen curtains.

"Where interventions have been made, these are clearly expressed, in complementary contrast to the rough hardness of the architecture," Groves-Raines tells Dezeen.

steel furniture on a concrete floor — Browns of Leith's stained concrete factory floor was deliberately preserved by Gras

Gras worked with Scottish engineering firm, The Ritual Works, to design custom furniture pieces for the space, including large curved steel dining tables, a bar, plus a row of smart utilitarian cabinetry.

"We approached the design of the pieces as sculptural objects, distinct from the space they sit in, with soft, rounded forms, but constructed in practical, highly durable and hygienic materials," Groves-Raines explained.

Towards the rear of the space, a kitchen sits behind a bar constructed using reclaimed sandstone bricks.

Edinburgh-based Gras chose to use bricks by Hutton Stone, sourced from the Darney quarry, usually discarded due to breakage and imperfections.

raw brick bar — Raw sandstone bricks by Hutton Stone have been used for the kitchen counter

"Our brick layers naturally sought to hide the imperfections and cracks, but we have deliberately turned these out towards the room, expressing the natural qualities and imperfections in the material," Groves-Raines said.

"We have used specific mortars so that, should we change the layout of the space, we can easily dismantle the structure and reuse the stone bricks," he continued.

Gras intended to preserve the "humble grandeur" of the old engineering works in Leith

Gras selected adaptable interior fittings to ensure the space can remain flexible depending on its use.

"Brown's of Leith is intended as a collaborative, evolving place rather than a finished object," Groves-Raines said.

"That idea has shaped almost every decision. So instead of over-designing everything, we have sought to create enough of a framework to allow inspiration, collaboration and adaptability."

Stainless steel bar — Gras commissioned The Ritual Works to create stainless steel tables and bars for Browns of Leith

Adjustable Anglepoise-style black lamps have been fitted onto steel columns, and earth-toned linen curtains can be drawn to partition the space.

Browns of Leith, which is part of the design studios Custom Lane, is set to expand into the upper floors, accommodating artists, architects and creative practitioners.

Other Edinburgh-based projects featured on Dezeen include a pair of light-filled mews homes by Architecture studio Pend and a renovated Edinburgh flat designed by Architecture Office.

The photography is by Richard Gaston.

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