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Date October 29, 2021
Client required both café and restaurant with modern feel for both family as well as young generation with a party hall for small gatherings. He asked to provide a seating of four with a central sale counter. Overall, He aspired to make maximum utilization of space.
When most people think of Brutalist architecture, their mind paints a bulky, raw and rugged building that defies the archetype of beauty.
Surprisingly, this mid-20th-century style has nothing to do with the benumbed definition of the word brutalism.
It’s pure essence lies in the desire to let the natural components of a building breathe solitarily with minimum to zero superfluous elements.
This intriguing concept dictates the main principle of our recently designed restaurant on a 40-year-old property at (mention location) which is a densely populated area.
The site is an L-shaped plot, with the long arm being comparatively narrow. Pepper n mint is a G +1 structure, designed carefully, catering to the challenging site shape with simplified circulation design and effective function distribution throughout the restaurant.
The interiors are designed with an intent to disentangle the odd shape the site comes with and reduce the masses for a clean, spacious look.
The ground floor of the restaurant consists of a dining area & bar along with utility space.
The façade of the restaurant is veiled and withdrawn from the use of transparent elements like glass. This has been done to hold up the visitor’s interest and curiosity.
The subdued grey tones of the façade hide the contrasting interiors which act as an effortless surprise while transitioning from outside to the inside.
The restaurant welcomes you with warmth reflected through lighting design and clean, structured interiors.
Further, following the principle of brutalism, the walls of the restaurant are fashioned with the use of clean rectangular panels dusted with concrete. Narrow, straight-lined grooves carved into these panels maintain simplicity and are painted to suit the concept of muted monotones.
However, they are beautifully balanced with the insertion of warm-toned wooden panels that run vertically from the ceiling right to the floor level.
These custom-designed wooden wall panels exhibit the same pattern as the façade and partitions confirming uniformity and simplicity.
The false ceiling is simple yet elegant with minimalistic grooves at regular intervals complimenting the design on wall panels.
The lighting design has been done with a functional approach and is a mix of utility, ambient & accent lighting.
The false ceiling is lit up with flushed lighting which is also the primary source of lighting for the restaurant. This is accompanied by beautiful warm-toned abstract light bulbs suspended from the ceiling over each dining area radiating subtle charm and elegance.
The fringes of the false ceiling run a warm-toned cove lighting that acts as an indirect source of additional light. This ensures the space is well lit up and also cancels out harshness usually caused due to too many lighting elements.
The furniture is custom designed and has a playful contrast in colors as well as design. The dining tables are kept simple in an attempt to balance out the engaging chairs and couches.
The couches predominantly are the only vibrant element throughout the design. They are purposefully designed to be massy, portraying comfort with its rather soft malleable material, enclosed with beautiful dark blue tones.
The furniture design has been extremely thoughtful in order to maintain the unrestricted, spacious look. Except for the couches, all the other furniture pieces are primarily based on framework design to minimize congestion.
The chairs are muted with a beige toned cushion and backrest but stand out due to their unique shell-shaped design. Even though minimalistic when looked at, these chairs have been designed to provide utmost comfort for an expansive dining experience.
The upper floor of the restaurant comprises a kitchen and party hall connected by a staircase. Given the narrow nature of the plot, the idea was to keep its design streamlined and efficient. The staircase frame is primarily made of Mild Steel, suspended with cable wires to maintain the concept of minimalism.
The rear partition wall imitates the façade and not just provides transparency but also maintains visual connectivity through the vertical transition space.
The staircase opens into the party hall which is a huge open space with a seating area on one end. The kitchen is tucked in neatly on one side enclosed with a huge elemental wooden door that reflects the vertical pattern of the wall panels and false ceiling, hence bringing cohesiveness to the entire design.