Hospitable Architecture: 12 Unique Restaurant Interiors
Come take a look at some inspiring and calming restaurant interiors.
Restaurants are where we go for our meals and we are drawn to them either by the nature of the build, the architectural design or their interiors.
If you haven't been taken close note of the interiors of some restaurants, it’s no big deal. I got you. In this roundup, I highlight 12 unique interiors of some restaurants around the world.
They took my fancy and I am sure you will be amazed at them too. Feel free to highlight the one that made you gasp in the comment section.
1. Goddard & Gibbs
They are owned by hospitality chain LORE GROUP. The seafood restaurant occupies the former Ace Hotel London Shoreditch building.
Its interiors are surrounded by mid-century furnishings, textured paintings castings that have scattered shadows from the lights above and pinstriped wooden walls.
Chef Tom Moore heads the seafood restaurant and they got their inspiration from the fishing villages and seaside towns perched on England’s east coast.
They also have foods of Asia influences which are evident in some of their dishes including baked aubergine with miso, tofu & blushed tomatoes, a fish burger with sriracha mago & kimchi.
The space is designed by Lore’s Group Creative Director, Jacu Strauss and he got inspiration from his summer days spent naturally at the seaside.
The yellow ‘thing’ or sculpture is reminiscent of stacking pebbles on the beach which was designed by Jacu himself.
2. Oku Restaurant
Oku is a Japanese restaurant that’s located northeast of Mexico City. It’s a sushi eatery and the second Oku restaurant designed by Michan Architecture.
The restaurant has 2 levels and has a rectangular plan. It has dining pods that are supported by light steel members which are welded into the building’s existing steel structure.
Neutral colours, pine-clad surfaces, pigmented stucco and panels made out of Glass-Fibre-Reinforced Concrete (GFRC)
3. Elgin Café
The Elgin café functions as a bistro by day and a hip bay by night. The restaurant was created to have an atmosphere and feel of the outdoors, where you find yourself engulfed by greenery, food spots, natural woods and conversations.
Local materials which were sourced from Rajasthan (Udaipur) are used in construction and reflects Udaipur’s green stone with fluted materials.
Pendant lights and furniture reflect natural cane and fabric with dull gold accents in the form of traditional switchboards and wall lights.
The buildings’ layers and design features encourage customers to explore the space. The café is divided into a private dining room, a café area and the rest of the restaurant with folding shutters and a bar space where customers sit on high chairs at a shared table.
4. The Budapest Café
The café’s design was inspired by filmmaker, Wes Anderson’s idiosyncratic visual style. This café follows the success of the Budapest café in Chengdu, China.
Earthy hues, stylised architectural motifs, nostalgic colour palettes helped create Wes Anderson’s symmetry.
Dark tones (live terracotta and orange) are added to the walls while softer beige and sand hues cover the fanciful elements.
5. Mimi Kakushi
The nightclub turned restaurant in Dubai was desired by Pirajean Lees and its design inspiration is from the grandiose parties of film actor Sessue Hayakawa.
The eatery is layered with rich textures and materials like beaded curtains, traditional joinery, bespoke stained-glass windows and hand-painted walls.
The 1920s inspired restaurant interiors feature carefully curated handcrafted and original furniture accessories.
Light is a key component within the restaurant as they have bespoke glass windows that serve benefits to the space and diners using it.
6. Noma 2.0
It has been voted the best restaurant in the world 4 times and came as the second-best at the 2019 World’s 50 Best List. Founder of Noma, Rene Redzepi, has built a culinary dynasty by focusing mainly on ingredients from the Scandinavian region.
Rene shuns ingredients like olive oil and focuses on foraged ingredients that can be found near the restaurant. Noma is located in Copenhagen and is said to be the most influential place of gastronomy in the world.
The new site has a total of 11 spaces where each (space) is tailored to their specific needs and built from the finest materials best suited for their functions. The floors in the restaurants’ Main Dining Room is made from solid Dinesen Hear Oak Plants (where natural cracks are preserved out of respect of the oak trees — which can be up to 200 years old).
The design concept of Noma 2.0 emphasises a playful approach to materials — tombac, oak, steel, brick and concrete. Locally sourced building materials, custom made furniture and innovative lighting technology work together to create a communal dining experience.
Guests, at arrival, are greeted with a rudimental front door which looks like it’s been cut out of a slatted wooden front. If you wish to take your shoes off, the restaurant’s floor is sandblasted with terrazzo which feels like river stones underfoot.
The interiors have natural oak panels that line the ceilings and walls and they also have integrated wardrobe doors.
7. 50% Cloud Artists Lounge
Shaped like clusters of termite mounds perched upward, this lounge follows the design language of red brick architectural complexes which was designed by Luo Xu.
This building features solid facades, curved contours and volumes which are set at staggering heights. All design elements implemented in this building are arranged based on light and under the skylight.
The interior design allows different visual effects that generate natural light. Furniture and internal distribution of curves of the building generated a spacious atmosphere with an elegant character.
50% Cloud Artists Lounge also passes an exhibition space.
8. De Republiek
Natural materials and earth tones were used in this restaurant. Sand-coloured walls serve as a backdrop to the linen.
The restaurant is set along a stretch of beach in Bloemendaal aan zee — a seaside neighbourhood that is an hour’s train ride from Central Amsterdam.
Timber coffee tables, cane armchairs and woven floor rugs serve as partial decoration.
9. Istetyka Eatery
Istetyka is a combination of 2 Ukrainian words — aesthetics and to eat. This is the message passed across when you walk into the building. You feel it in the interiors and the dishes.
There’s a painting that depicts bread and is a clear representation of an aesthetic approach to food as an art.
Istetyka is divided into 3 zones and the main area consists of spacious round tables for friendly meetings. The table’s legs are made from a sustainable material ztista — and is a combination of natural components, clay and recycled paper.
Visitors and customers are greeted by a laconic entrance made of wood, clay walls and unpressed concrete. A lot of the items in the eatery are handmade by local artisans.
10. MotherBKK
The two-storey café was constructed using earthy elements including wood, stone and soil. The combination of the specially designed transparent roof, off white wooden stamped concrete wall and the natural wooden floor gets you refreshed and comfortable when you step into the restaurant.
MotherBKK has an open kitchen which was designed and placed in the middle of the first floor so that you can get a close and deep connection to the origin of every dish by direct interaction with the chef.
11. Isagi Restaurant
This space was one of the earliest communities that were established for the US Army. It was previously used as an artists’ studio and was painted in light green and pale yellow — which spread through the exterior walls and internal spaces.
12. Dauphine’s
The eatery’s design is greatly influenced by the city’s Spanish and French roots. Classic elements including custom oak parquet flooring, walnut millwork, mosaics, tiles and hand-cost wrought iron were favoured by the design team to create a Bourbon street nostalgia.
