Some are quirky, some eclectic, some retro, some upscale, while some reminiscent of a bygone era. Tiled walls, latticed windows and vaulted arches. Ziggurat patterned frieze artworks, deco cabinetry, chandeliered ceilings and engraved floorings characterise the spaces and act as mood setters. Restaurants are quickly metamorphosing from places to enjoy food & beverages to spaces to appreciate design and interiors.
Along with providing innovative food and beverage (F&B) offerings, restaurateurs are leveraging the expertise of designers and architects to create spacious zones that thrive on a look and feel that provides an all-round sensorial experience.
Says Rahul Khanna, director, Azure Hospitality, “Design sets the tone for the mood/vibe of the restaurant. It can dictate fine dine with upscale modern design to casual dining with quirky interiors. And such elements act as touch points to stimulate customer behaviour.”
According to Anirudh Kheny, partner, Plate Project Hospitality, whether it is regal and reserved or hip and edgy, the design aesthetic of a restaurant makes a statement about what customers can expect to experience. Kheny feels that people are paying more and more attention nowadays to the conceptualisation and the themes of the dining experience.
Indeed, it is no longer just the cuisine and drinks, but the interiors that attract customers, and more so, repeats, feel experts. The national restaurant association of India (NRAI) predicts the Indian restaurant market to grow to Rs.51, 000 crore by 2021. And design is set to play a crucial role in the overall growth, considering the thrust and emphasis that restaurateurs are levying on this front.
Sandeep Khosla and Amaresh Anand from the architecture and interior design firm Khosla Associates believe that designing an F&B space is very different from say a residence, spa or hotel.
A spa is designed to create a serene space, to feel pampered. A hotel spells comfort and luxury, so does a restaurant. But what makes designing restaurants unique is the many moods one tries to put together. We have to generalise customer expectations to an extent, yet create something that appeals to one and all,” says designer Chetana Vij Sharma.
Khosla and Anand say that designers have to work with chefs to create a great ambience, “good food, efficient workflow and ergonomics for entertainment in order to make a lasting impression that makes clients come back.”
Recently, Khosla and Anand sculpted the interiors of 1Q1, a high-end F&B brand in Bangalore, which is inspired from the 1930s Art Deco style. “As architects, we furthered the Deco character of the building by integrating a prominent arched colonnade into the existing fenestrations on the street level. A distinctive feature we introduced into space was a series of lofty freestanding arches that create visual movement and fluidity, while reinforcing its vault and arch vocabulary.”
One of Sharma’s many design babies is Foxtrot, which she created as a hangout for the youth, as well as for those in their 50s. “Foxtrot has a mix of industrial in some parts, to a trendy common room straight out of a college, to a Parisian chamber full of old world charm. We’re creating moods to cater to different personalities.”
According to Khanna, each brand in his restaurant chain is design intensive and made to deliver a unique experience. “Quirky Asian décor, vintage art, Asian objects from Hong Kong streets set the tone for Mamagoto; while rustic objects, truck art and kitschy elements give Dhaba its iconic highway eatery swag,” says Khanna.
Architects feel that in any F&B space, ceilings constitute a key aspect as they define the volume and lend a certain character. “Ceiling treatments are very important, especially on crowded nights when people tend to look up. At 1Q1, the 20 feet high ceilings were treated with a series of repetitive vaulted arches and rendered in a red-oxide finish,” say Khosla and Anand.
MOOD FOR FOOD
- From just the cuisine and drinks, even the interiors attract customers, feel experts
- Designing such restros is unique as designers need to put many moods at a place
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