Amsterdam-based Studio Linse have designed a new restaurant at London's Royal Opera House (ROH) as part of the institution's historic 'Open Up' project.

Located above the building’s Paul Hamlyn atrium, the Level 5 Restaurant and Bar was recently constructed for ROH’s £50.7m (US$$66m, €58.2m) Open Up initiative, which saw the 160-year-old opera house expand and create a number of spaces, including the 400-seat Lindbury Theatre and the Covent Garden and Bow Street foyers.

Barbara de Vries, senior designer at Studio Linse told CLAD that the 230-person capacity eatery – the studio's first major project in London – was inspired by the venue’s Victorian "elegance".

According to De Vries, the restaurant’s minimalistic, earth-tone interiors, which feature glass-encased displays of ROH props as well as illustrations of theatre costumes, was inspired by the ROH’s Victorian "elegance".

First launched in 2014, the entirely donor-funded Open Up project involved 30 contractors and was spearheaded by Stanton Williams Architects.

The firm told CLAD that the "new restaurant and bar dovetails well with Stanton Williams’ interventions within the main foyer spaces and Linbury Theatre, becoming an integral part of the visitor’s overall experience".

Stanton Williams’ ‘Open Up’ project for the Royal Opera House gets the go-ahead