Chef Tim Ma’s inventive dishes have crossed over from his Northern Virginia restaurants to the busy streets of Washington, DC’s Shaw neighborhood with his Chinese-French concept Kyirisan. The 2,500-square-foot venue makes the most of its dimensions with a wholly original atmosphere that’s as unique as the cuisine. Local firm Grizform Design Architects sought to honor Ma’s culinary mastery with an environment simultaneously complex and clean.
“We were inspired by the layers that chef Ma is able to work into his food,” says Grizform principal and owner Griz Dwight. “While his dishes may look simple on first glance, there is a depth and consideration that belies the first look.”
Ma’s one request was for the restaurant to feel like extension of his own home—a comfortable, residential-style achieved through furnishings such as Danish-inspired chairs and tufted blue tweed banquettes in the main dining room and bar. “Our design team wanted the seating to appear modern, with a nod to residential simplicity,” Dwight notes.
The understated approach allows the space’s architectural details to stand out. Light gray linoleum floors span the interior, for example, in harmony with the walls’ warm walnut panels, vinyl coverings, and sound-absorbing panels. “We chose a muted, sophisticated color palette, which allows the angular ceiling and back wall to take center stage,” says Dwight, who translated Ma’s signature cooking approach through folding planes that connect and break apart from the rest of the interior structure, symbolizing the simple ingredients that comprise the intricate dishes.
The custom planes protrude from the back wall of the restaurant, to creating a triangular floor-to-ceiling installation for a sense of depth. The warm white ceiling complements the geometry and forms a visual canopy above diners, while—clad in white tiles—the façade’s large, triple-hung windows offer a clear view inside of the massive folded star pattern.
Finished in matte black, a repurposed barn door is mounted behind the host stand, serving as a subtle backdrop for ceramic animal-shaped planters. And perpetuating a bronze accent motif, a series of planters grace the walls and reinforce the overarching angular design—with air plants softening their sharp corners—and the bar’s conical hanging fixtures and foot rail are made from the same metallic material. Meanwhile, crafted from stone, the restaurant’s 12-seat hightop table is a focal point, its narrow Y shape making room for the chef to prepare food before diners.
“We aimed to create a concept that deconstructed Ma’s style of cooking to its essence and effectively translate the dichotomy found in his menu—simple ingredients with complex flavors,” Dwight explains. “The result is a dynamic atmosphere—designed with an intricacy that belies its simple construction.”
