Gras converts century-old Edinburgh factory into Browns of Leith food hall

Architecture studio Gras has transformed a 100-year-old former engineering works in Leith, Edinburgh, into a food hall named Browns of Leith. The building, originally housing George Brown & Sons, now contains restaurants and cafes including Cafe Haze, ShrimpWreck oyster bar, and Civerinos pizza. Gras founder Gunnar Groves-Raines employed a 'light-touch approach' to preserve the industrial character, retaining exposed steel beams, a rigging system, and a concrete floor with a Jackson Pollock-style patina. The interior features a pared-back palette of raw and neutral materials: stainless steel furniture, a rough sandstone bar from Hutton Stone sourced from Darney quarry, and raw linen curtains. Custom furniture was designed with Scottish engineering firm The Ritual Works, including curved steel dining tables and utilitarian cabinetry. Reclaimed sandstone bricks, deliberately showing imperfections, form the kitchen bar. Adjustable Anglepoise-style lamps and earth-toned curtains allow flexible partitioning. Browns of Leith, part of the Custom Lane design studios, plans to expand into upper floors for artists and creative practitioners. Photography by Richard Gaston.