Dine underwater in Norway, beneath a ceiling of butterflies in Bangkok, amidst kinetic planetary spheres in Bulgaria or immersed in virtual reality nature in Tokyo with the most stunning modern restaurant designs of 2017. Some people say ambiance is just as integral to the overall enjoyment of a meal as the food itself, and these 14 new restaurant interiors from around the world offer multi-sensory delights ranging from the understated and sophisticated to the wild and unexpected.

The Iron Fairies Underground Bar Full of Butterflies by Ashley Sutton

A curious underground den with three locations in Bangkok, Hong Kong and Tokyo, ‘The Iron Fairies’ by Ashley Sutton Design feels like something out of a movie with its dim blacksmith-forge-inspired furniture, hanging bundles of herbs and an incredible ceiling installation covered in 10,000 preserved butterflies. More intimate rooms are located inside old furnaces.

Romola in Madrid by Andrés Jaque / Office for Political Innovation

Slotting seamlessly into a midcentury building in Milan, ‘Romola’ by Andrés Jack is a marbled masterpiece in pale greens and pinks, with a stunning geometric ceiling installation complementing the luxurious floors. Triangles of marble dangle overhead, creating a sort of ‘tent’ below the high industrial ceiling with plants hanging between the panels.

Worlds Unleashed And Then Connecting: Interactive Installation in Tokyo by Teamlab

Japanese collective Teamlab created one of their signature interactive experiences inside Tokyo’s Saga Beef Restaurant SAGAYA Ginza with unforgettable results. “When a dish is placed on the table, the scenic world contained with the dish is unleashed, unfolding onto the table and into the surrounding space,” they explain. “For example, a bird painted on a ceramic dish is released from the dish and can perch on the branch of a tree that has been unleashed from a different dish.”

Underwater Restaurant in Norway by Snøhetta

A monolithic structure looks like it has broken off into the ocean after some sort of apocalyptic event, resulting in its glass-fronted facade pointing deep into the water. But it’s no accident. Architecture firm Snøhetta has designed Europe’s first underwater restaurant set along the Norwegian coastline by the village of Båly. ‘Under’ will double as a marine research center, and over time, its concrete shell will encourage mollusks to latch on, creating an artificial mussel reef.

Koi Cafe in Hanoi, Vietnam by Farming Studio

This charming cafe in a three-story Hanoi residence is centered upon an indoor koi pond, with water raining down into it all the way from the top level. Vietnamese design firm Farming Studio used recycled wood from the original site to create a warm and rustic ceiling and custom tables looking out onto the water. The koi tank is a closed-cycle system using waste from the fish in the aquarium to support the lush green roof of the cafe.

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Fine Dining Design 14 Modern Restaurant Interiors With Amazing Ambiance

An abandoned traditional building on the coast of Madalena, Portugal has come back to life with a sculptural wooden extension that emerges from the back like a living organism. Cella Bar by FCC Arquitectura and Paulo Lobo leaves the original structure intact, merging the vernacular architecture with a wholly modern aesthetic in pale curving timber.

Missing elements of the abandoned building, like the doors and windows, were restored to make it look just as it did when it was first built, minus the charming weathering on the stones. The interiors were transformed to suit the building’s new purpose as a restaurant, the wooden floors flowing out the rear doors, onto the original terrace and continuing onto the roof of the addition.

“The new extension is a contemporary creation, exposed to a completely different language,” say the architects. “It is an organic, dynamic construction that contrasts with the orthogonal, classic language of the building where it is embedded. The design is defined by great plasticity, both in terms of forms and materials, and is markedly inspired by the natural environment around the site. Several features of that environment are present in the architecture of the building, including the outline of the island, rocks, whales and wine casks. The new volume acts like a giant sculpture, tailored for its location.”

Why spend your time in any old hole-in-the-wall cafe when you could be surrounded by eye-popping, eccentric and beautiful design? These 13 unusual cafes from Poland to Australia defy expectations with strange sculptural installations, shocking colors and prints, brilliant flooring solutions and other quirky visuals.

Das Neue Kubitscheck, Munich, Germany

(images via: dezeen)

The owners of Das Neue Kubitscheck in Munich are really serious about one thing: no doilies! The self-described ‘punk’ Armin Stegbauer revamped a 1950s patisserie into an elegant and contemporary cafe with fun details like a sculptural installation of ‘cake boxes’ in a corner. With a rallying cry of “F#$%! the cake mix”, Stebgauer made the cafe multifaceted and dynamic – without a doily, that common decorative item in cafes of old, in sight.

St. George Lycabettus Cafe, Kolonaki, Greece

(images via: designshoot)

Ribbons of white form continuous bands across the surface of the St. George Lycabettus Cafe in Greece, extending from the wall, over the tables and onto the floor. Contrasting with dark gray marble, the white surfaces draw the eye along the entire space.The cafe is located inside the St. George Lycabettus Hotel, among the best lodgings in Athens.

MS Cafe, Muzeum Sztuki, Poland

(images via: dezeen)

A faceted wooden bar forms the focal point of a modern cafe on the ground floor of the Muzeum Sztuki in Lodz, Poland. Made of wooden triangles, the bar also features panels of translucent plexiglass that are back-lit for a glowing effect. The cafe also features mobile wooden booths on wheels.

East Beach Cafe, Littlehampton, UK

(images via: contemporist)

The East Beach Cafe in Littlehampton, England certainly stands out among the more traditional buildings of the area. Winner of a number of architectural prizes including the Royal Institute of British Architects regional prize, the cafe has an unusual design made up of stacked organic shapes in rust-colored steel. Architect Thomas Heatherwick wanted the structure to fit the “raw beauty” of its surroundings without being too literal with ocean-inspired themes. The cafe has reportedly had a “Guggenheim effect” on the town (referencing, of course, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain) drawing in tourists and gaining worldwide attention.

Cardboard Cafe by B3 Designers

(images via: core77)

An incredible 8,000 cardboard boxes were used to create this ‘cardboard cafe’ by interior architects B3 Designers. Made for the London Design Festival in 2008, the cardboard cafe occupied the architects’ East London Studio, temporarily turning it into a bar. The boxes were painted and stacked to resemble bricks, and guests were encouraged to wear cardboard clothing.

Robo Cafe, Osaka, Japan

(images via: 3yen, gizmag)

Don’t wait around for a human server at the Robo Cafe in Osaka, Japan – there are none. Instead, you have to place your order with the adorable miniature robots that run the place. When you’re done eating, a robot will even come out and clean your table. While at the cafe you can even purchase a robot to take home.

D’espresso Cafe, New York City

(images via: contemporist)

When you walk into the D’espresso Cafe in New York City, you might find yourself a little overwhelmed at first: did you just enter a sideways library? What’s going on here? It takes a moment to realize that the effect of books on shelves, lining the ceiling and floors rather than the walls, is created using giant sepia-toned images printed on custom tiles. The ‘pendant lights’ are even installed ‘sideways’ to encourage the illusion. This unusual design, creative yet quite simple in its execution, gives the D’espresso a one-of-a-kind atmosphere.

The Purple Cafe by Jan Schriener

(images via: freshome)

The fittingly named Purple Cafe is, unfortunately, not a real place – at least, not yet. This concept design by Jan Schriener imagines a restaurant in virtually all shades of purple from lilac to eggplant, contrasting soft, relaxing design details like an installation of branches with bright, geometric lighting and art.

Design Bar by Jonas Wagell, Stockholm Furniture Fair

(images via: dezeen)

The Stockholm Furniture Fair was transformed into a cartoonish wonderland with giant balloons and colored paper. Swedish designer Jonas Wagell created the Design Bar installation in two sections, ‘the forest’ and ‘the industry’, the latter represented by black ‘clouds’ and smokestacks. “I want to use small means and simple materials to create an environment with grand expressions and strong character. Trade fairs are temporary structures, hastily erected only to be torn down within days. Instead of building an environment that tries to be something more than this, I see an exciting challenge in embracing the temporary and creating a spatial presence with a glance at stage design and graphics, rather than glamorous, polished architecture,” Wagell said.

Brother Baba Budan, Melbourne, Australia

(images via: simon food favorites)

Brother Baba Budan is not just a Melbourne favorite because of its coffee, reputed to be among the best in the city. It’s also notable for its fun and slightly chaotic décor, which includes an installation of wooden chairs hanging from the ceiling. It’s certainly a simple, inexpensive yet unforgettable way to make your cafe internationally known.

Cafe/day by Suppose Design Office, Shizuoka, Japan

(images via: dezeen)

Giving the impression of a building shell placed lightly upon a pre-existing parking lot, Cafe/day by Suppose Design Office continues the exterior asphalt floor into the interior, traffic markings and all. Located in Shizuoka, Japan, the cafe features benches modeled on bus stop seating and chairs made of recycled car seats. With its large glass walls and unusual flooring solution, Cafe/day extends this casual space of relaxation out into the urban environment.

Hatched by Outofstock, Singapore

(images via: dezeen)

Egg-shaped windows dot the wooden walls at Hatched, a Singapore cafe by design collective Outofstock. Located in an old dormitory next to a university campus, Hatched is a casual restaurant serving breakfast all day, and it communicates this hominess with warm, welcoming wood and aged brick.

Cafe Vue by Elenberg Fraser, Melbourne

(images via: weheart.co.uk)

It’s not just the juxtaposition of patterned stone bench tops and timber floors against stark white walls that make Melbourne’s Cafe Vue stand out. Rather, it’s the strangely sculptural details dreamed up by designer Elenberg Fraser, like the white cage-like structure that surrounds one of the tables, and the guillotine-shaped light that hangs above it. The design is a modern twist on the aesthetics of the Versailles Palace and Marie Antoinette.