Designing the perfect F&B experience

The dining experience of today is not just about the power of what’s on your plate but about everything that affects the overall exploration into cuisine, theme and design. Design elements are not only limited to the interiors of the space but translates into everything from branding to accessories to cutlery. With the right mix of details a restaurant can transform its space from being a place to just eat to a destination where people come to socialize, indulge and connect.

Here’s our top picks from around the world:

Bluewave Cocktail Bar, Barcelona

Designed by Spanish design house El Equipo Creativo the Bluewave Cocktail Bar in Barcelona is located at the water’s edge and to reiterate this into its interiors, the designers we asked to bring the waves indoors creating a marine atmosphere full of shade and reflections. The color range goes from deep blue to white recreating the foam of waves while incorporating a concrete lattice facade as a finishing for the space.

Bottega Ristorante, Jakarta

Inspired by a 1960’s Italian comedy-drama film about the search for ‘La Dolce Vita- ‘the good life’ Einstien & Associates combines high end class and sophistication with industrial design to create the ultimate fashionable ambience. Pre-dominantly using six materials: steel, copper, brass, wood, terrazzo and striking mosaic tiles the restaurant situated in the heart of Indonesia’s capital provides a new, modern European touch to Jakarta’s business district. 

Café 27, Beijing

Influenced by Café 27’S organic and healthy mission statement, the Shanghai office of Four O Nine converted a glass building in Beijing into a cafe, adding walls of plants to purify polluted air. Winning the Award for Best Green Interior or Sustainable project in Asia by A&D Trophy Awards the approach for the café’s design was ecologically sensitive using plant-covered architecture as a means to improve air quality while contributing to aesthetics.

De Vooruitgang, Eindhoven

An all-day restaurant designed by Dutch designers DEBUUT the design is a blend of industrial chic with a touch of playfulness to create a multi-level space that exudes warmth, color and life. 

Potato Head, Hong Kong

Celebrated designer Sou Fujitomo was approached by the Indonesian PTT Family to design an outpost of the group’s ever popular Bali beach club in Hong Kong. The new venue comprises a small coffee shop, homeware store and bar at the front, and a restaurant and music lounge nestled behind. Fujitomo combines rich Indonesian handicrafts with geometric forms in this space- for the exterior and retail portion of the venue he uses white lines and geometric patterns to cover grills while in the interior of the restaurant he uses specially commissioned panels by craftsmen in Indonesia.

Furniture includes a mix of Indonesian designs and mid-century classics, including leather armchairs designed by Modernist Marcel Breur. The aim was to create a contrast with Fujimoto's minimal aesthetic.

El Pinton, Seville

Designed by lucas y hernández-gil architects El Pinton is a restaurant located in Seville, Spain where the design aim was to craft a link between traditional architecture and a contemporary approach to the typical Andalusian courtyard. The 250 meter space was distributed into different areas that surround the main central courtyard. In order to intensify the patio’s ambiguous character that mingles between interior and exterior the space was enhanced with vegetation, garden furniture and a camouflaged fabric for shading. As for furniture and lighting, many of the pieces were designed by the studio using metal and wood while others were sourced from well-known brands. 

Melba, Singapore

Designed by Emma Maxwell the café is a celebration of cross cultural identity exploring its connectivity from Melbourne to Singapore. A multi-purpose space that poses as a casual lunch spot during the day to post drinks early evening and then slightly more formal dining for later the design of the restaurant needed to be modular with the layout creating a sense of community and dynamism. Sourcing local artisans to contribute to the project with the use of sustainable reclaimed oak wood the challenge with its design lay in creating bespoke pieces from scratch. 

Poco Loco, Dubai

Last but not least Dubai makes an entry with the all new Latin American eatery Poco Loco designed by Harrison. The restaurant features a two-storey 6000 sq.ft. space which includes a terrace looking across to The Beach. Vibrant and colourful interiors pay homage to the brans’ Aztec and Inca-inspired cultural theme. The open plan ‘Latin-Chic’ restaurant also features an open kitchen, rich textured layering, authentic salvaged timber materials and a mocktail bar and cigar lounge.

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