AUTHENTIC ALLURE!

The remodeled China Village restaurant, which is 800 square feet and was designed by skywardinc architects, stands out for its hard-hitting raw and unfinished look. It is located in the trendy neighborhood of bandra, Mumbai, which is known for its high-end boutiques, high-end cafes, and affordable but aspirational street shopping. This particular decoration came about as a direct result of a constrained financial plan as well as a limited amount of time. “when we acquired the project, it was decrepit but still working, so we needed to renovate it at a speedy rate,” explains Sehool Kapashi, chief design architect for the company. Therefore, in order to maintain the authenticity of traditional Chinese villages, a very basic and rustic atmosphere was created by reinforcing and re-engineering the existing structure while simultaneously demolishing all internal walls and linings. This was done in order to achieve the desired effect. The idea develops from the existing name, and a well-structured story propels the thinking process ahead with a material language that is both basic and forceful. For example, the plastered walls with casual strokes of solidified cement stains or the exposed-brick walls with random splatters of cement strike the eye in their natural style. Both of these wall types are inherent to the space. The story is developed further with the use of concrete flooring, louvered burma teak, and salvaged doors and windows. The harshness of the environment is softened a little bit with the addition of some Chinese symbolism in the shape of haphazardly decorated photo frames. wrought iron grills are used to create a partition between the entrance foyer and the restaurant; reclaimed wood is directly screwed onto sewing machine stands; naked bulbs and simple pendant lights are used to illuminate spaces; and there is a large timber log located near the entrance that alludes to the larger picture. The ceilings of the two halves, the interior and the exterior, are entirely unlike to one another. In contrast to the intricately woven ropes that make up the loop pattern ceiling of the enclosed interiors, the outside area is given the appearance of being thatched with wood and has rafters spanning the length of the structure. We would like to bring to your attention the fact that in European nations, an unpolished appearance that honors one’s background is rather common, however in India, this is not the case at all. On the other hand, Sehool disagrees with our assessment and claims that the idea has been successful for his customers; he attributes this success to the diverse population that resides in Bandra. To see the photographs on indiaartndesign.com, please click here.