May 25, 20212 min read

An Aura Of Playfulness With Traditional Elements In This Restaurant Design _ MAIA Design Studio

An Aura Of Playfulness With Traditional Elements In This Restaurant Design _ MAIA Design Studio

Located in Bangalore, India, the ground floor of a two storey home was leased for this trendy, casual Asian restaurant. Originally designed to be a home, the 150 sq.m. layout is fragmented and the ceiling heights very low.

The designers wanted to use local materials and traditional Indian craft techniques in a modern relevant context. A 250 module wooden installation was created in collaboration with local artisans in the nearby township of Channapatna. Specializing in hand lathe woodwork and natural lacquering for over two centuries, this art form is 100% eco-friendly and handmade. The lacquers are natural, and the colors derived from natural sources: red - manjista root, yellow - turmeric & tesu flower, green - Indigo extracted from Indigo dyes and brown - walnut bark.

Each module is hand turned and the forms deliberately kept modern in order to fit the context. The modules are fixed 450mm apart from one another in a grid format. Large inverted beams cutting the space on all sides are clad with mirrors. The mirror reflects the installation creating an illusion of extension to infinity. The visual effect makes the large 900mm beams disappear, thus opening up the space and making it lighter.

Locally mined light grey granite Sadharalli, and light birch wood paneling, are used extensively on the walls and floors of the restaurant to create a subtle neutral backdrop. Intricate layering of the Sadharalli creates a subtle sophisticated texture. Patterned mosaic tiles in reds, greens and yellows pop out against the subtle textural quality of the stone and wood. Pastel pinks and greens are used to tie the palette together and add the youth/edge that was needed to make this a trendy fast casual restaurant.

Raw silk lamps were custom made in Pondicherry. The chairs are hand-woven with coir, another traditional craft, usually used in making charpoys, a traditional Indian day bed. The restaurant has been designed in an endeavor to use local materials and craft in a contemporary context.