ArchShowcase 
Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Inkwood Restaurant & Bar in Shanghai, China by Studio8November 8th, 2018 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Studio8 INKWOOD Restaurant & Bar is the first restaurant opened by young chef Yang Beichuan, located in Shanghai Columbia Circle. Despite his youth, Beichuan is already a well-known professional who received his training as cook in Canada, where he worked together with some of the most renowned chefs of Montreal. Beichuan is a mixture of Eastern and Western cultures, who has spent half of his life running through Beijing Hutong, and other half switched to the kitchen of western restaurants in North America. He likes to use local ingredients to cook innovative international cuisine.  Image Courtesy © Rosu
 Image Courtesy © Rosu STUDIO8 has been commissioned for the brand visual identity, interior design and soft decoration of this new landmark in the city’s cuisine scene. When Beichuan found STUDIO8, he said he was attracted by the simplicity and playfulness of the caozitou bench designed by them. When beichuan described the restaurant he wanted to open to the designers Andrea and Shirley, the concept was not so clear and vivid for them, until Beichuan has decided to name the restaurant INKWOOD – “Wood represents nature, and ink represents constant daily routine. On the other hand, wood represents the ingredients and ink represents a sauce that makes the ingredients more tasty.”  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Rosu Studio8 was challenged to reflect the chef’s mindset, and to build up a branding image able to translate into visual Beichuan’s ideas. During the design process, STUDIO8 has spent a big amount of time with the founder team of INKWOOD discussing brand concept. In Shirley’s words, “the design process is like a long brain-washing experience between our clients and us.” Eventually, STUDIO8 has decided to concentrate on the connection between “ink” and “wood” instead of either of the two elements, which they believe is the key of concept – the unexpected juxtaposition of two elements: ink and wood. It consists in a series of complex and fascinating associations that Beichuan applies to his cuisine. At INKWOOD restaurant, the chef wishes to provide the customers with an experience that breaks the daily routine. Both the space and the menu are set up in order to bring people together, since for Beichuan food is also about socialising, and for this reason, all the dishes are thought to be shared.  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Rosu For many people, the first impression of INKWOOD restaurant is the color combinations. Andrea said: “The color of wood, ink and sauce reminds him of the color scheme of the Italian painter Giorgio Morandi. He wants the guests of INKWOOD to feel the intensity and temperature of wood and ink, ‘tasting’ the sauce and ingredients with their eyes first.” In the VI design, a series of flowing color bubbles are used to represent “ink”; while in the main logo, the mirrored writing “INK” and “WOOD” are just simply connected by a very well defined golden stroke. Designers didn’t want to use too many curves in the space to distract customers’ attention to food. Therefore, in the space, an interesting color and material combinations are used to express the concept of “INK” and “WOOD”, highlighting that stroke of symbiosis in a form of a brass stripe, which is on the ground, on the wall, on furniture and as custom-made light fixtures.  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Rosu At the entrance of INKWOOD restaurant, the brass stripe with a parallel LED light on the floor extends to the kitchen window, pointing to the core of the restaurant – the kitchen where Beichuan is working. At the entire restaurant, there is dark green boiserie allover the space under 1.2m height, which makes the entire restaurant look like soaked in dark green ink with only two blocks rising towards ceiling, which visually frame the kitchen window and two brown niches. The rest of the wall is in mustard yellow color with rough texture, which absorbs and reflects light to make the whole dining ambient warm and soft. Carefully selected and custom-made accessories and paintings are casually placed on the 1.2 meter waistline, leaving rest of the areas simple.  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Rosu There are a variety of seat settings, which allow different groups of customers to find a suitable corner for them. Worth to mention is the “chef’s table” in front of the kitchen window. The high communal table design allows the guests to have a same eye level height with the chef and cooks working in the kitchen. Through the window where Beichuan and his partners has placed their favorite cooking book collections, customers are able to observe the whole cooking process. The restaurant’s cutlery, accessories and even flower arrangements continue the overall style of INKWOOD’s VI, like the chemistry created by food and sauce, that is delicate, warm and with layers.  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Rosu  Image Courtesy © Studio8  Image Courtesy © Studio8  Image Courtesy © Studio8  Image Courtesy © Studio8
Contact Studio8
Categories: Bar, Interiors, Restaurant |
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|||||
email
Facebook
Twitter
RSS Feed
