Fast food restaurant design is nothing new for Hong Kong-based designer Danny Chan. An alumnus of Steve Leung Designers Ltd., Chan contributed to the hip re-branding of Maxim’s Fast Food and designed many outlets in the Fairwood franchise. Now, heading his own firm, Beige Design, Chan is back at it again, called upon to design a branch of the Fairwood Buddies Café in the Citygate mall in Tong Chong. His task was to create a new take on a cha chan teng—meaning tea restaurant in Cantonese, the Hong Kong version of a diner—and be totally different from the other Fairwood eatery facing it across the way. "This client had two Fairwoods facing each other in the mall," says Chan. "They wanted to distinguish them from each other."

Setting this 1,800-square-foot café apart from its counterpart was no challenge for Chan since his inspiration was right in front of him—a giant hexagonal column set in the middle of the space. "I remember the hexagon from chemistry class," Chan explains. "You know, they form chemical bonds. They become friendly, attaching themselves to others. That was the thinking behind this Buddies Café." Hexagonal figures take shape throughout—he covered the original hexagonal column with mirrors to multiply the effect of the figure; a six-edge cash counter stands in front of the column; custom-designed pendant lights feature naked bulbs encased in hexagonal wire casing; diners look through a shapely window for a peek into the cafeteria-style kitchen’s roast meat area; there’s a mirrored cutout at all the booths; and spotlights reveal hundreds of the shape hidden in the three-layer staggered walnut veneer wall panels. And since it’s a high turnover eatery that needs to be flexible, tables, which feature six-sided tabletops, can be pushed together to form a honeycomb shape to accommodate larger groups. "[They] became the pattern and the theme," he says.

Another distinguisher: color. "I decided to keep everything mostly white, to get away from the Fairwood corporate orange color that dominates the other café," says Chan. "But if it’s too white, it is boring." With that in mind, he contrasted the stark white Corian counters, white plastic backed chairs, white tables and booths, and white louvers running across the ceiling with wood tones found on the walls, hexagonal shaped ceramic tile floor, and dark brown vinyl booth seating. "I was given a free hand on this project," Chan explains. "I wanted the design to be subtle but still bright."

Fairwood Buddies Café
Tong Chong, Hong Kong

Owner: Fairwood Holdings Ltd.
Interior Design Firm: Beige Design Ltd
Interior Design Project Team: Danny S. Y. Chan
Contractor and Engineering: Alliance Engineering Co. Ltd.

RECEPTION AND FOOD COUNTER
Hexagonal Counter: Designed by Danny Chan; custom made by DuPont Corian

SEATING AREA
Walnut Wood Panels: Designed by Danny Chan; custom made by Alliance Engineering Co. Ltd.
Ceiling Blocks/Stone Work/Tile Work/Millwork: Alliance Engineering Co. Ltd.
Furniture and Lighting: Designed by Danny Chan; custom made by Alliance Engineering Co. Ltd.