Great Neck, a suburb in Long Island, New York, has witnessed a series of changes in recent years. One mainstay Chinese restaurant, Moonstone—a buffet-style dining concept—needed to keep up with the pace. “The owner knew he needed to bring the restaurant to a whole other level of operation, service, and design,” says designer Wid Chapman, principal of Wid Chapman Architects. “We were asked to take this mundane buffet restaurant and change it into a much more formal dining model.”
Based in Manhattan, the design firm is well versed in creating ethnic-inspired dining spaces. “In all of them, we tend to start with some sort of direct cultural inspiration, but we’re always working towards a process of abstraction and refinement—usually resulting in a lesser interpretation of the culture,” Chapman explains. The firm redesigned a slew of upscale restaurants on Manhattan’s 6th Avenue most during the 1990s. Each location asked for a contemporary take on, and a less obvious version of, its ethnic roots. “Fast forward a decade or so, there seems to be more of an openness of integrating the ethnic motif into the design and not denying it,” he says.
At Moonstone, the Chinese motif comes into play with teak wood screens that divide the space. The geometric screens surround the main dining area and help delineate circulation around the restaurant. “It’s not quite a regimented motif, since it’s more of a symmetrical look,” Chapman describes. “Nonetheless, it’s where the client wanted it to fall in the degree of ethnicity.” Placed upon a stone-clad knee wall, the screens are lit with a strip of red light to recall their inspiration.
Six columns, a newly popped up ceiling, and a wooden pathway further define the main dining space. On the other side of that pathway, smaller and more discreet dining areas line the hall, which ends with a lounge area. “It all falls into place very naturally,” Chapman says. Freestanding booths each have white sculptural pendants, while yellow glass bead fixtures illuminate the main space. “The idea is to have these jewels hanging down, which in some ways contrast the clean look of the architecture,” he continues.
A long feature wall was designed in a hall adjacent to the main dining area. “This is unabashedly a sculptural motif, and it’s certainly not a Chinese aesthetic,” Chapman says. To evoke a strong negative and positive pattern, the lacquered geometric wall is juxtaposed against a recessed mosaic tile background that alludes to water. “There’s backlighting behind these upfront panels, and they give a nice glow to the feature wall,” he adds.
A circular motif in the bar and lounge contrasts the sharp geometrics in the dining areas. Highlighted by a curved wall, the bar is clad in mother-of-pearl penny tile lit around the edges, and a circle-covered textile covers the ceiling. “The combination of the curve and the materials creates an intimate and enveloping feeling at the bar,” Chapman says. The bar itself pairs a glowing onyx front with a marble top.
“It’s fun to sit in the different areas and get different views through the screens,” Chapman explains. “When it’s crowded, Moonstone is vibrant and social. You get a sense of the layers that wrap around the restaurant.”
