London-based creative agency 7Gods recently completed the branding and interior design for Greenleaf, a 30-seat Chinese restaurant and karaoke bar in Holborn, London. According to 7Gods, the design concept reflected not only the youth of their client, but their client’s target audience as well. “The idea was to create a unique space which avoids any stereotypical Chinese elements in the design,” explains 7Gods founder and managing director Ronald Gomes.

Their biggest challenge was limited space, addressed by reconfiguring the existing restaurant floorplan and using mirror and high-gloss finishes for a more spacious appearance. While nothing in the space is overtly Chinese (other than the character in their logo which translates as “Greenleaf”) the team set about to reflect the spirit of contemporary Chinese culture through a creative interpretation of yin and yang, or a balance of dark and light, to delineate the different spaces.

The ground floor restaurant is done in a cool palette, with gray Ghost chairs from Philippe Starck, deep-buttoned fawn leather banquettes, Carrera marble tables, limestone floors, and glossy white wall glazing. Taupe-toned recycled felt circles do double-duty as both stylish wallcovering and sound absorption.

Almost everything in Greenleaf is bespoke. “We worked very hard to make the kinetic lights, which are designed to open and close like a blossoming flower. The lights are what stop people on the street, drawing them into the restaurant,” says Gomes. Made from loops of white webbing, the pendant lights are fashioned from motorized, laser-cut loops of PVC.

The downstairs karaoke space features a black granite-topped bar and deep jewel-tones to evoke the “yin” aesthetic traditionally associated with the color black. Backlit banquettes covered with iridescent upholstery wrap around each of the two karaoke rooms, and at the reception area, LED and MR16 spotlights have been inset into the soffits and toe kicks of the walls.

Another highlight is the penny wall between the main floor and the restrooms, comprised of 16,000 pence coins. “…the bank was asking all sorts of questions,” Gomes remembers.