Scene Stealers
Hot restaurants and bars mix a bit of playfulness, a lot of passion and revenue-generating creativity.
By Mary Scoviak, Features Editor -- Hotels, 5/31/2005 11:00:00 PM
 Hot trend: create destinations in the space. JIA Boutique Hotel’s OPIA achieves that with color changes and clever positioning of design accents.  Zen, at the Omni Orlando at Championsgate, uses thematic shoji-inspired screens and signature lighting.  Sheer organza draperies provide intimacy and an organic flow to Café Mix at the Shangri-La Sydney. |
Every restaurant and bar should tell a story. Design’s role is to keep that story interesting. Think about providing “chapters” that unfold into a series of experiences that give customers a reason to come, and to come back.
The key is to provide a look and a menu that are consistent, but fresh each time. That means design for optimal choice:
Layer the space as well as the experience. “Each restaurant should have zones that serve specific functions,” advises Hong Kong interior architect Andre Fu. He used glass and sliding doors to screen off the private dining room in JIA Boutique Hotel’s OPIA so that, when not in use, it becomes part of the general floor space. “This innovative design helps to maximize revenue. The private dining area is never a lost space,” says Barry Polson, general manager of the Hong Kong hot spot.
Buck the trend. Orlando has nothing like Looney & Associates’ immersively Asian “Zen” at the Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate. This modern take on organic Asian lines and materials showcases a menu of options: intimacy in organza swathed banquettes; socialization at the glowing sake bar; speed at the table-height, mosaic tile-accented sushi bar or celebratory escapism in the private dining room. “The layout and variety of table configurations mean we can accommodate any situation,” says Andy Papoutsis, general manager.
Barcelona’s Hotel Omm often has a backlog of reservations for its Restaurant Moo. Integrated with the hotel’s award-winning design by architect Juli Capella and interior designers Sandra Tarruella and Isabel Lopez Vilata, Moo projects what Travel & Leisure’s design awards cite as “incandescent warmth—unlike so much modern minimalism.” The experience is anything but cold or clinical, thanks to subtle lighting and warm colors.
Make every table an experience. Integrate the food and beverage space, as the Malmaison Belfast does in its brasserie and bar. Then turn down the lights to create an intimate, moody ambience and add in a mix of comfortable, eclectic furniture that makes each table different. “These spaces are more seductive because they are not repetitious nor are they too open,” says Stephanie Briggs, with designer Jestico + Whiles. General Manager Anthony Thwaites likes the marketable difference of dramatic color and “decadent” opulence that counters freestanding competitors’ spare/chrome style.
Subdivide large spaces. “Large restaurants are not as popular nowadays. They still can work by using clever design that creates small, more intimate spaces within,” says Paul Greenwood, senior designer, Brennan Beer Gorman Monk (BBGM). Use lighting to graze textured surfaces and illuminate product displays as Greenwood did in the bottle-lined entry to the Shangri-La Sydney’s Café Mix. Customize the experience by increasing interaction between the chefs and the customer. Position buffet and cook stations at the edges of the floor space. “By eliminating the original cumbersome buffet display, we increased revenue-generating seating 50%,” says Greenwood.
 Sense of place is relative. Though both are right for Barcelona, Casa Fuster’s Cafe Vienese plays up colors and curves...  ...while Hotel Omm’s Moo puts rich natural materials and clean lines center stage.  Set a mood, like the brasserie and bar of the Malmaison Belfast do, by lowering the lights and mixing and matching furniture. |
 HBA/Hirsch Bedner Design layers Raffles the Plaza’s INK Club Bar with destinations at different levels to maximize the experience without requiring too much space.  The dining room at Amankora suggests residential comfort with natural materials inspired by its setting in Bhutan, a welcoming fireplace and the cool glow of pale wood gathering tables. |
Create real options. Hotels such as Barcelona’s Casa Fuster broaden their markets by matching their restaurant and bar design to the expectations of different segments. The hotel’s Café Vienese has large furniture and an architectural feel; Restaurant Galaxó offers an elegant interpretation of Barcelona-style “Modernisme.” “Any space that does not have its own guest base or a specific timetable can be rented for private functions,” says Eduardo Serrano, general manager.
Conjure an aura of privilege. With a fireplace and plush seating, the dining room at Bhutan’s new Amankora looks like home.
“Visibility is not always critical. There needs to be an attraction,” says Steven Scott, Amanresorts’ manager of technical services. For Amankora, that “attraction” is the at-home comfort reflected in fabrics and finishes that harmonize with both the food and the locale.
HBA/Hirsch Bedner Design’s Ink Club Bar at Raffles The Plaza, Singapore, underscores the feeling of A-list exclusivity with private niches curtained off by sleek metal drapes and space-defining design elements such as a lighted glass floor.
Study In Design
The “do’s” and “don’ts” of successful food and beverage design include:
Don’t overcrowd a restaurant. “Don’t use lighting to overpower guests by putting them in the spotlight,” says Stephanie Briggs, formerly with Jestico + Whiles.
Turn on the lights. “One of the most interesting trends is to design unique, contemporary, custom-made chandeliers that, in themselves, define spaces and give them a signature,” says BBGM’s Paul Greenwood, who designed Cafe Mix at the Shangri-La Sydney.
Do look for reuse possibilities. “INK Club bar was previously guest luggage storage, an out-of-use business center and back-of-the-house storage/circulation. By connecting once fragmented, forgotten spaces, we created an upmarket F&B outlet,” says Alice Nguyen, with HBA at the time of the club’s design.
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