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Architects: SALONE DEL SALON
- Area: 240 m²
- Year: 2021
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Photographs:Sean
Text description provided by the architects. It’s hard for people to find a quiet retreat in the bustling city nowadays. In this context, SALONE DEL SALON conceived a poetic and elegant dining environment for restaurant brand Ting Feng Xie. Here people can temporarily escape away from the hustle and bustle of the city while enjoying delicious crab cuisine. SALONE DEL SALON responded to the brand’s culture and incorporated fashionable, architectural, and artistic elements into the restaurant, to immerse guests in a crab delicacy journey in a diversified dining space characterized by a tranquil atmosphere, pleasant colors, and enjoyable experience.
Wabi-sabi tranquility. Wabi-sabi aesthetics, depicted by Japanese aesthetics theorist Onishi Yoshinori, is far beyond the beauty of languages. More importantly, it conveys Zen thinking and the underlying philosophy, which give birth to aesthetic expressions featuring quiet hues and atmosphere. The design team brought wabi-sabi aesthetics into the restaurant space, which reveals the charm of time and elegant tranquility, while also interpreting the Zen atmosphere of “emptiness with everything”.Through minimalist design languages, the space produces a sense of emptiness and a serene vibe. Isolated from the noise outside, diners can gain inner peace here and immerse themselves in the serene space. The hollowed-out squares on both sides of the passageway generate a refreshing visual effect, hence giving the walls a unique image. Concealed lighting produces a delicate atmosphere and meanwhile adds quietness to the dark-toned space. The symbolic art installation further interprets and extends the design concept, enriching and enlivening the space.
Fascinating colors & crab elements. The strong, pure red tone dyes both curtain and tableware. Besides, an orangish-red tone reminding people of cooked crab shells is applied to a large area of the space, filling it with a Japanese style and a sense of tension. The strong red hues result in a fascinating and pleasant spatial atmosphere, inviting diners to get away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world and immerse themselves in the spatial aesthetics. The arched dome-like wooden lampshade is like a fisherman’s conical hat, full of poetry. Crab’s hairs are translated into various linear expressions on walls and cabinets, telling the brand’s story metaphorically. Black and gold elements improve the spatial texture, making the dining environment deluxe yet not exaggerated, calm yet not dull. The boxes with exquisite patterns and the paintings of Kayama Matazo embellish the space and generate an artistic atmosphere as well. It was an aesthetic challenge for the designers to strike a balance between different colors. The subtle application of hues adds a sense of tension to the space, in which structural blocks and abstract narratives evoke sensory feelings as well as emotional resonance.
Elegance & enjoyable experience. The restaurant not only brings a delightful taste experience but also takes guests on an art journey. Upon entering it, diners will be enchanted by poetic maple shadows as well as crab dishes’ delicious smell permeating the unique elegant space. Warm-toned finishes are calm and introverted, setting the style of the overall space. The rammed earth, together with bronze, responds to the local context and gives the space an ever-lasting charm. Smooth circulation organization helps enhance service efficiency. Through design details, the crab’s multiple characteristics are fully reflected in the space at both macro and micro levels, thereby strengthening the brand’s identity.
Gorgeous colors and wabi-sabi minimalism are contrasting yet interrelated, together permeating the overall space and producing Japanese-style poetry. Incorporating the brand’s personalized genes, the space features new elements and cultural charm. The subtle design languages outline the spatial pattern and ambiance and create a secluded, comfortable, quiet, and elegant dining environment that stimulates emotional resonance and offers poetic and pleasant experiences.
