Himkok

Oslo

Sympathetic design in a 200-year-old space

In an easily missed space in central Oslo you’ll find Himkok. Over its long history, the building had been home to tailors, shoemakers and pharmacy appliances, left abandoned, and even nearly demolished, before being dragged back from the brink by Erk Potur’s manifestation of an innovative idea.

Find the snake slithering around a white ‘H’, and step inside the 2024 Bareksten Best Bar Design Award winner, chosen by six leading experts from the world of hospitality design.

Himkok opened in 2015 as a place where old and new seamlessly coexist. Part-bar, part-distillery, part-lab, the multiverse space is divided mindfully, taking revellers on a journey with every sip. The main entrance leads through to a low-lit classic cocktail bar, thoughtfully scattered with stylish, stained wood furniture and gilded mirrors, evoking a Scandi-meets-1930s New York speakeasy vibe.

The back bar is stocked with rows and rows of matching bottles created by Olssøn Barbieri design studio. The goal: to make the in-house spirits – accounting for 80% of what the bar uses – feel like an extension of the space. Nods to apothecary hark to the building’s past, while the choice of materials – eco polymer cork, untreated beech wood engravings, paper seals, organic ink, lightweight glass – are very much in line with the bar’s sustainable philosophy.

Want a different vibe? There’s room for 450 people across Himkok’s three bar spaces, so head out back to the casual back yard garden to sip a beer or natural cider made from Norwegian apples.

On the second floor is a taptail bar, with more of a dive bar feel. There’s a DJ, chilled vibes and space for 250 people seated and standing. The two inside bars are designed very differently, but with the common goals of having a great time and enjoying high-quality drinks.

When designing the space, Potur and the Himkok team had to be extra careful as the building is protected. They had to adapt, rather than the other way around. Copper was found in the building, so the distillery equipment is made of copper. There are no brutalist elements or minimalist aesthetics – everything fits and makes sense.

A thoughtfully created bar blending the past, present and future, Himkok is the winner of the Bareksten Best Bar Design Award at The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024.

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