Hasta La Ideas

The interior of this Hong Kong restaurant by architect Nelson Chow was inspired by Malaysia’s bustling night markets and traditional coffee shops (+ slideshow).

Old Street Kobiteh restaurant, located in the Popcorn shopping mall in Hong Kong’s Tseung Kwan O district, was designed by Nelson Chow to reference the 1920s Malaysian coffee shops called “kopitiam”.

“Kopitiam serve dishes from different ethnicities so that people from different backgrounds can all dine together,” says Chow, who chose to accentuate this communal aspect with an 11-metre-long dining table.

The table comprises 30 smaller units, each decorated with a different tile pattern found in the Malaysian streetscape.

To create the ambience of a night market, Chow placed neon signs alongside light fixtures inspired by old street lamps.

Opposite the long table is an open kitchen where chefs occasionally perform tea ceremonies in front of the customers.

A high ledge above the banquette seating displays vintage plates and hand-drawn menus.

We’ve previously featured two fashion boutiques designed by Chow – one with a suspended ceiling made from hundreds of white cables and another monochrome space for the same brand.

Other restaurants we’ve published recently include a Parisian hamburger joint inspired by the lights of New York’s theatre district and a dining room overlooking the pitch at Greek football club Olympiacos – see all restaurants.

See all projects in Hong Kong »

Photographs are by Dennis Lo Designs.

Above: floor plan – click for larger image

Here’s some information from the architects:

A Kopitiam dining experience that recalls the old Malaysian streetscape

Old Street Kobiteh is a recently completed restaurant in Hong Kong that references a traditional kopitiam (coffee house) while taking on elements inspired from the contemporary Malaysian streetscape. The kopitiam is an unique Malaysian institution originating from the 1920s. Its name reflects the country’s multi-ethnic society: kopi is the Malay term for coffee, and tiam is the Hokkien word for shop. Kopitiam serve dishes from different ethnicities so that people from different backgrounds can all dine together under the same roof. This communal aspect is the main inspiration for the open concept at Old Street Kobiteh which is centered around a 37 foot long dining table.

The central table is comprised of 30 modular units, each showcasing a different tile pattern from the Malaysian vernacular streetscape. Together they form a colorful mosaic display that recalls the hustle and bustle of the vibrant Malaysian urban center. Particular inspiration comes from the night market, where streets are filled with hawkers preparing dishes in front of the customers, generating plenty of sounds & aromas to create an exciting dining experience. Custom details include light fixtures inspired by old street lamps along with neon signs which contribute to the overall ambience of a night market. At Old Street Kobiteh, an open kitchen is placed opposite the communal table, with a continuous upper ledge showcasing hand drawn menus, vintage plates and an assortment of the restaurants food offerings. The strategic placement allows the chef to engage with the diners by performing periodical acts such as Teh Terik pulled tea ceremony.

On one level, the design of Old Street Kobiteh showcases how the spirit of the Malaysian streetscape could be translated architecturally into a Kopitiam restaurant within a conventional mall setting. On another level, it showcases a holistic approach to restaurant design, seamlessly integrating the design of the restaurant’s interior, furniture, lighting fixtures, graphics, staff uniforms, while incorporating found vintage objects. By crafting an aesthetic from the mood and lighting of a space right down to its detailed components, the end result is a visually striking yet highly functional family style contemporary restaurant.

Project Title: Old Street Kobiteh Restaurant
Location: Shop G09, Popcorn Mall, Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong
Interior Design: NC Design & Architecture Ltd (NCDA)
Project Designer: Nelson Chow (NCDA)
Graphic Design: NC Design & Architecture Ltd (NCDA) and Whatever Workshop Ltd
Client: Buick Management Limited

The post Old Street Kobiteh
by Nelson Chow appeared first on Dezeen.

This Hong Kong boutique has an undulating ceiling of woven cables and a checkout inside the changing rooms.

Architects LEAD and Nelson Chow designed the store for retailer Shine, who stock clothing collections from various fashion brands.

Over 900 overlapping white cables create the suspended ceiling, which contrasts with the black structure behind.

A mirror across the back wall creates the illusion that the ceiling is twice as long.

Garments hang from leather-covered rails, where mounted plaques state the designer of each collection.

Other projects on Dezeen with undulating ceilings include a cave-like cafe and a timber-lined hotel room.

Photography is by Dennis Lo.

Here’s some more information from the architects:

Shine is one of Hong Kong’s most renowned high-end multi-brand fashion stores, known for bringing pioneering foreign brands to Hong Kong clientele. The Shine Flagship Fashion Store in Causeway Bay, designed by NC Design & Architecture Ltd. (NCDA) and the Laboratory for Explorative Architecture & Design Ltd. (LEAD), showcases how an architectural reinterpretation of contemporary textile patterns & accessories can be seamlessly integrated into fashion retail, creating a fascinating yet highly functional contemporary store.

Located in the Fashion Walk, the Shine Corner Store optimises its relation to the street through an open façade, visually doubling the space through a fully mirrored back wall. In the main room, pieces from various designers are presented against a monochromatic background into a flexible open shelving system. The shelves’ design is based on a folding luggage rack and its leather surface with integrated lighting has leather belts strapped around it to reveal the names of the designer brands below. The cashier area in the back of the store conceals the fitting rooms and storage entrance behind a continuously folded black steel wall that resembles long folded dressing partitions and forms the most intimate and private area within the overall shop.

The most distinct feature of the store is its ceiling. Over 900 shimmering white cords are woven into undulating overlapping planes that create Moiré patterns against the dark ceiling backdrop. The design questions and explores the dematerialisation of surfaces through the weaving of thread – an element commonly found in contemporary textile patterns and fabrics – and alludes to principles of Op Art by directly referring to graphical experimentation in the grisaille paintings of artists like Victor Vasarely and others. The ceiling plays on the shopper’s perception as walking underneath it suggest the illusion of movement as hidden images appear to be flashing and vibrating in the ceiling and swelling, warping patterns emerge.

The Shine Fashion Store shows how unique large-scale effects that emerge from the creative use of material and detailing can effectively be combined with programmatic functionality and spatial efficiency.

Project Title: Shine Fashion Store
Location: Shop B, G/F 5-7 Cleveland Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Design:
Laboratory for Explorative Architecture & Design Ltd. (LEAD)
NC Design & Architecture Ltd. (NCDA)

Design Team:
Nelson Chow (NCDA)
Kristof Crolla (LEAD)

Client: Shine Trading (HK) Ltd.

See also:

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