When it comes to restaurant design, there’s no shortage of inventive, creative solutions to how we eat today. Below, we look at 13 global F&B spots that are merging design-driven interiors with a forward-thinking approach to hospitality.
The Fireside > A long-awaited redesign has graced Vancouver’s Fireside restaurant inside the tony Arbutus Club. After a complete gut renovation, the 4,200-square-foot upscale restaurant has been transformed into a contemporary enclave outfitted with luxurious fabrics, imported stone, and a seductive color palette composed of various shades of gray, deep violet, and variegated blue. “We wanted to speak to the feeling of the club without the old boys’ [club] feel,” explains Cynthia Penner, principal at local firm Box Interior Design. “The focus is on high-energy competitiveness and power, so we created an area that would soothe, nurture, and foster social bonds.”
HEYTEA at Zhengzhou Grand Emporium > HEYTEA is not your traditional Chinese tea-drinking café. To attract a younger generation, Shenzhen-based MOC Design Office injected the space with thoughtful, contemporary touches—like the joyful graphic of a tea drinker who greets guests upon arrival—that are then translated into streamlined interiors. The firm found inspiration in the art of calligraphy, punctuating the space with black bamboo sculptures suspended from the ceiling to recall the delicate stroke of the pen, while white lacquered aluminum walls nod to the Xuan paper used for the practice. “The project is an audacious attempt to draw young people’s attention to our traditional arts,” says chief designer Vivi Wu, “which are nearly forgotten in the modern world.”
Beefbar Paris > For the eighth installment of the internationally revered steakhouse, French designers Emil Humbert and Christophe Poyet of Humbert & Poyet (who also helmed the Berlin, Hong Kong, Mexico City, and Monaco locations of the eatery) used the glamour of the space’s former tenant, iconic eatery Fermette Marbeuf, as a jumping-off point for the lavish restoration. Rich jewel tones, Art Deco elements—such as faceted mirrors, lacquered walnut and brass fittings, and marble details—and ornate Art Nouveau wall paneling add layers of sophistication to the restaurant’s original architecture. The main dining room’s glass atrium, for example, “dramatizes the idea of luxury, so that it becomes less austere,” says Humbert.
Imperial Hotel > In recreating the languishing Imperial Hotel, a historic, three-level LGBTQIA nightclub right outside of Sydney, Alexander & Co. aimed to build a dark, lost palace. The ground floor is home to Priscillas, a lively restaurant named for the iconic Australian movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, which centers around a group of fun-loving Aussie drag queens. “This is the story of the harlequin side of the LGBTQIA venue,” says Jeremy Bull, principal at the local design firm. “The dark, severe, and melancholy cabaret of the lower floor is a strong departure from the lighter and more frivolous tones of the upper.” Outfitted with timber paneling, tumbled stone tiling, and exposed brick, the swanky restaurant is a moodier counterpart to the second-floor pizzeria Imperial UP, complete with an outdoor pizza oven, handmade brass wall lights, and Warhol-esque prints. Still to come: a lower-level nightclub and Australia’s first same-sex marriage cathedral, due to open this year on the venue’s rooftop.
Merkato > An abandoned airport hangar in Valencia, Spain now serves as the city’s buzzy, design-focused gastronomic venture, Merkato. Designed by Barcelona-based Francesc Rifé Studio, an all-black interior and exterior evoke a modern, polished feel allowing the Spanish fare at the hub’s three eateries (a bakery, deli, and restaurant) to take centerstage. “Our aim was to carry out a tasting market that maintained the industrial aesthetic of the old space with a reference to local product,” says Francesc Rifé, who was drawn to the project based on the cultural, historical, and social significance it has in the city. Inside, industrial remnants remain a highlight, but are enlivened with potted trees scattered throughout the main dining room and skylights that bring the light in.
Xiamen Haigan Xiaoyouyu Seafood Restaurant > For the latest outpost of the high-end Chinese seafood chain, local firm Xiamen Fancy Design & Decoration revamped a former factory into the three-story restaurant by building a new two-level structure in the atrium and a separate sunken area hidden under the staircase. The interconnected spaces feature distinct micro landscapes to offset the wooden accents and white walls. A water feature by the staircase, for instance, “endows the space with vigor,” says firm founder Fang Guoxi, while the soft lights in the dining areas create alluring shadows that set the tone for private moments between patrons. Despite the austere interiors, the restaurant’s playful side takes the form of its mascot, a giant red squid sculpture whose tentacles were elongated to “express a sense of tension and bring more fun,” adds Guoxi.
Benno > When New York-based firm Parts and Labor Design took on the refurbishment of the landmarked Evelyn Hotel in Manhattan’s NoMad neighborhood, cofounders Andrew Cohen and Jeremy Levitt set out to tell an indulgent tale within the walls of fine dining restaurant Benno, as well as its adjoining lobby lounge, decked out in emerald banquettes and graphic stained-glass windows. The upscale restaurant makes a statement with luxe materials, including dark honed marble at the bar, which are further accentuated by a sumptuous burgundy and blue palette. The highlight: a custom Art Deco-inspired chandelier that Levitt describes as a “great opportunity to hug the ceiling with an installation that not only integrated our design, but also celebrated the existing skylight.”
Under > Tucked into the southernmost point of Norway’s coast, the small town of Lindesnes is now home to Europe’s first underwater restaurant. Courtesy of Oslo firm Snøhetta, Under (in Norwegian, under means both “below” and “wonder”) was built inside of a monolithic concrete form that is almost indistinguishable from the rocky shoreline. Doubling as a marine life research center, the program within the restaurant analyzes “how we can explore fishing and underwater creatures’ life conditions to make it more sustainable,” says firm partner and managing director Martin Gran, who was instrumental in creating a deeper meaning to the restaurant beyond its experiential design. The structure’s rugged 112-foot-long façade, which dips 16 feet into the sea, also promotes algae and mollusk growth, and will eventually function as an artificial reef to purify the water. Inside, the intimate 40-seat space is divided into three levels, including a foyer, the pink- and orange-toned champagne bar, and the main dining area at the lowest level, where a panoramic window shows off the sea life beyond. A simple staircase connects the floors, while oak was chosen to create a warm environment that deliberately contrasts the building’s rough exterior.
Tesoro > When Malcom Berg started designing Tesoro, the fine dining restaurant on the fifth floor of the JW Marriott Marco Island in Florida, he had visions of abstract grandeur coupled with a completely original take on a statement ceiling. “It’s rare that guests enter a restaurant and feel a sense of awe,” says Berg, founder and principal of EoA in Coral Gables, Florida. “We wanted to retain the overall original concept for the property as an ode to Polynesian tranquility, so we chose to peel back the layers and dig deeper into the origins of the islands.” Enter a highly architectural ribbed-wood ceiling design inspired by the collision of tectonic plates. Underneath, chairs are upholstered in a fiery orange fabric that recalls the lava that rushes up after the cataclysmic event. “It was all about expressing the natural materials in an abstracted form,” he says. “Wood strips and burnt tree columns dominate the space, with mirrors positioned to multiply the tectonic articulation.” A bevy of frosted pendants illuminate the central communal table that seats 12, as well as the more intimate seating arrangements that surround it, while panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico, complete the coastal experience.
Spojovna > Bordering three Prague districts, this laidback neighborhood brewery fosters a sense of community through an open and inviting design from local firm mar.s architects. Spanning more than 8,000 square feet, the material palette for Spojovna (which in Czech means “the link inn”) was kept simple with spruce, concrete, black steel, and gray-painted brick. Communal tables, bench and stool seating, and metal chairs outfit the brewpub, while the central concrete bar sits beneath glistening globe pendants. The black-stained spruce panels create an eye-catching 3D effect for the façade with strategically placed, expansive windows breaking it up.
Greenwich Grind > Melbourne-based design firm Biasol has been the go-to firm for all 13 locations of London’s beloved all-day restaurant chain Grind, with more to come this year. Their latest collaboration in Greenwich mixes coffee, cocktails, food, and music in three disparate zones, all under a striking glass atrium. “There’s something for everyone, whether you’re on the go, after a signature martini, or want to dine in,” says firm founder Jean-Pierre Biasol. The deli entrance is resplendent in the brand’s signature pink, while the intimate green room is wrapped in a rich turquoise backdrop and enhanced with rosy banquettes and concrete walls. Neon signage, a hallmark of the brand, shows up here as well, with one piece stating, “Do you remember the first time?”—a reference to the song by ’90s British rock band Pulp.
Breadway Bakery > Filmmaker Wes Anderson’s distinct sense of cinematic style has been translated into the charming Breadway Bakery in Odesa, Ukraine, with the whimsical design nuances of The Grand Budapest Hotel serving as its key muse. Kiev-based designer Lera Brumina and architect Artem Trigubchak fashioned the bakery as a maximalist wonderland, defined by the blue-dipped takeaway zone, the hazy gray dining room, and the bright bubble gum pink waiting area. The rosy hue reappears in scalloped banquettes and a centrally located chandelier, while a broad golden border not only bounces light around the space from the large, central window, but also provides a sense of organic energy to the colorful space.
Elayki > The spirit of eating yakitori in a discreet neon-lit alley in Tokyo was the driving force behind the graffiti-covered Elayki eatery in Buenos Aires, located behind the back door of the British steampunk Victoria Brown restaurant and bar, both the handiwork of local firm Hitzig Militello Arquitectos. The cozy space invites diners to sit at the brick wall-facing counter or the white-tiled bar that peeks into the grill and the pink-illuminated hydroponic orchard, which yields produce used in both restaurants. A combination of art, including local artist Martin Ron’s artwork of Queen Victoria on the façade, that depicts Latin musicians, graffiti tags of the restaurant’s logo, and the Kanji alphabet drive the concept home. Above, the vegetation-filled ceiling is covered with electrical cables that form abstract pyramids referencing Japanese street lighting.
