Buddha-Bar Restaurant Interior
A restaurant design where Eastern Zen-inspired future aesthetics meet the loft style.
The Buddha-Bar in New York is a two-story restaurant featuring Asian cuisine, located in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood. The main concept behind the design of this restaurant and bar is reincarnation. We express this idea through materials, space, and the rebirth of a major brand, with the first Buddha-Bar having opened in Paris as early as 1996.
We placed a 15-foot (4.5-meter) tall glass Buddha statue next to the entrance of the most spacious hall. We moved away from using some yellow metal statues and instead introduced a futuristic atmosphere. Our Buddha statue is a parametric sculpture composed of nearly 1,000 flat elements.
The glass has a frosted texture that prevents the light from the tree-shaped projector from entering the interior of the sculpture. A 3D digital art projection creates the illusion of a hologram of light. You might think of it not as a nearly 15-ton (13.5-ton) sculpture, but as an empty vessel where something is happening and life is emerging. The sculpture is valued at one million dollars.
The large metal chandeliers in the main dining area are by the French brand Forestier, designed by Kateryna Sokolova. They have an Eastern flair but also resemble futuristic drones, quietly hovering in the air.
The interior décor in shades of gray, brown, and blue blends modern design with the original atmosphere of the building. We express the theme of reincarnation through the internal details. According to our expertise, we used wood with a history of 800 to 4,000 years for the tabletops and some wall surfaces.
The restaurant lobby is adorned with dried plants. We preserved some typical elements of early 20th-century loft spaces, including cast iron columns and the building’s original beams. The high screens made of rebar also echo the era of New York's industrial prosperity.
Category: Interior Design | Taps: Loft Style, Loft Décor, Loft Design, Chinese Restaurant Design, Zen-inspired Design, New York, USA, Bar Design, Restaurant Design, Dining Bar Design, Hospitality Space Design