At the end of October 2010 the Tó Restaurant of Fót moved into one of the 100 m2 premises of the Károlyi Castle. My task was to turn the dining room, which was then used as the canteen of the Children’s Town, into an inviting, cosy restaurant. The challenge was that the castle is a protected building, so it is not allowed to be drilled or carved, it can only be changed in a way that it can be changed back any time. It was also an important aspect that the budget available for the rebuilding was very tight as it was a rented space.
The room had very good parameters: for example its ceiling height was 5.2 meters, it had 7 huge windows (400 × 180 cm). However, it was in a very bad condition, the doors, the flooring and the walls were in a “dramatic” condition.
The conversion was a great success, even the Count and the Countess Károlyi, who lived in one of the wings of the castle, were pleased with the result.
