Providing unbiased setting for haute cuisine

Was published in Jakarta Post on Sunday October 28, 2007

One recurring dilemma my wife and I have to cope with every time we want to have a dining experience is how we decide between good food and good place. Most of the time those two things do not go together. We can have fantastic food in a worst place on earth or dine in a fabulous place with mediocre cuisine.

Perhaps the challenge for Anouska Hempel, an internationally renowned London based interior designer, in designing the SHY restaurant is to provide an astonishing interior without competing with the food. Rather than overly decorated the restaurant, her personal approach is more mental than physical. She focuses in engaging three main issues: scale, enclosure and consistency.

Starting from the entrance corridor, our sense of scale is being manipulated here. As we enter the main dining area through the narrow corridor, we will slightly ascend through a series of wide steps, and descend as we enter the dining areas. This technique gives a compression in space and provides a simply elegant introduction for the dining areas. So it will feel dramatically higher.

The SHY’s dining area is divided into four different parts: one large dining space that can be sub divided and enclosed into smaller private dining, two private areas and one relaxed lounge area.

Hempel creates the sense of privacy of each division simply through extensive use of the vertical screen. Privacy is achieved by exploiting the effect created by the physical property of the vertical screen, where it becomes transparent when viewed perpendicularly and opaque when viewed sideways or on an angle relative to the screen surface.

This effect is similar to an optical illusion called the moiré phenomenon. An illusion created by superimposing two different sets of parallel lines differing in relative size, angle or spacing.

Its application is considered as the oldest trick in the book and has been used by designers as a simple yet effective tool to create physical separation while maintaining limited visual connection.

According to Karen Kwek, SHY’s communication officer, the main design direction is not to overshadow the food’s presentation. To that end, Hempel maintains the applied materials by limiting color palette into three colors: black, white and celadon (grayish light green).

I am deeply convinced that the predominantly black interiors, with different finishes and effects for each elements such as the floorings, seating, tables and the screens, has successfully create an unbiased setting for any activities or events at SHY. The limited color palette has allowed Hempel to focus and exploit the physical quality of each element.

Overall, the key ingredient to Hempel’s sophisticated interior is through proper understanding of characteristic of the materials and the effect it has created. The food can be self represented without distraction from other interior elements and people can be their selves in a tranquil atmosphere.

Captions:

Picture 01 The raised corridor enhanced the sense of different scale.

Picture 02 Extensive use of the screen creates division while maintaining visual connection.

Picture 03 Main dining space is flexible to be sub divided or re arranged for different events.

Picture 04 The food can be self represented without distraction from other interior elements and people can be their selves in a tranquil atmosphere.

All images are courtesy of SHY