Watertable, a restaurant inside the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach, brings in a concept of essential pairs for a rustic yet refined style. Designed by EDG Interior Architecture + Design, the space has a hacienda appeal with a modern Californian twist.
“We imagined the owners of the hacienda as a multi-generational family, bringing back mementos from their travels around California,” says Shawna Jacoby, senior design at EDG. “There’s an inherent eclecticism in that approach, as furniture, photographs, and artwork tend to be acquired over time, rather than just belonging to one era.”
The team created a “family kitchen,” which holds a mix of furniture-inspired pieces that serve as cook, cold, and warm stations.
“We like to create distinct zones in our restaurants,” says Jacoby. “It’s good for operations in managing peaks and troughs and also creates distinct guest experiences, encouraging return visits.”
The cold station has a sneeze guard that rises up at night to become a light fixture over bottles of wine on ice, and stools tuck under the warm table, to be pulled out for dinnertime seating at a chef’s table.
“The team was really behind the name Watertable as a natural extension of the concept of essential pairs—what is more fundamental to a dining experience than water + table?” says Jacoby.
“It was a surprise, which is always fun, but I love [the] dining loggia North: beautiful light, arched plaster walls, dark wood beams, and arabesque tile floors—all punctuated by blackened steel screens,” Jacoby describes.