Intimate Restaurant Interior Creates Cozy Ambiance with Separate Rooms

Next to having a picnic in the woods, dining at the Si-Pu Nabe restaurant in Shanghai is the best way to enjoy an intimate meal in a nature-inspired background. This hotpot restaurant was created by Golucci International Design as a space for small family and friends gatherings, where privacy and a the cozy ambiance are the main design goals. If creating an intimate restaurant interior is a challenging task, Si-Pu Nabe achieves this by dividing the space into small dining rooms.

Unlike the typical restaurant with its common dining area where an intimate dinner is usually more a wish than a reality, Si-Pu Nabe offers its customers only private rooms, and no central dining area. These come in different sizes, from two-people rooms for romantic dinners to four-people ones designed for small families, and ten-people spaces for get-togethers with friends.

In order to separate these spaces and create an inviting environment, the designers used long and narrow strips of wood curved at the top, evoking the look of trees. The wood strips draw the eyes upwards, emphasizing the height of the rooms, and lean over the dining spaces, as if caught in a gentle protective gesture.

Wood is all-present and all-powerful in creating the feeling of an intimate restaurant interior, whether used in the construction of the tables and low benches, or that of the floors, counters, shelves and cabinet area. The ceiling wood details at the entrance have irregular edges, announcing the visual theme of the restaurant. This heavy use of wood only accentuates the feeling of coziness and warmth and gives the places a cohesive look.

Emphasizing the forest metaphor, strip lights follow the contour of the dining spaces, calling to mind the ethereal look of rising vapors and giving the place a subtle mysterious vibe.  

The designers strived for and created a simple, perfect flow from the entrance area and its shoe cabinets to the dining spaces. Customers use the cabinets to store their shoes before entering the dining space. They are provided with disposable slippers, and the floor heating system keeps them warm and comfortable. While the interior design leans towards minimalism, the well-chosen details create an intimate atmosphere, similar to that of a home.

Via retaildesignblog.net
Designer: Golucci International Design
All photos: retaildesignblog.net

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