More than just a pretty space: A restaurant's design can affect your whole meal
WHAT MAKES a picnic a picnic? It seems like a silly question, but consider this: a picnic is defined not so much by the food you’re consuming, but the environment in which you consume it. You’re outside, sitting on the grass or in the sand. It’s warm and bright; maybe there’s a gentle breeze. You’re enjoying the sun on your shoulders and the soft ground beneath your softer blanket, and for that, you enjoy your simple sandwich all the more. The same is true of a romantic evening at home: it’s not necessarily the food that creates a sense of ardor, but candles, soft lighting, low, slow music.
You may not always be cognizant of it, but when you’re dining out in a restaurant, ambiance also plays a key role in your enjoyment of your meal, whether you’re tucking into a succulent feat of gastronomy at one of the South End’s finest bistros or sinking your teeth into a juicy burger in a Somerville dive. The architecture and décor of a restaurant may not directly stimulate your palate, but they certainly rouse your senses, creating an experience that’s as much about sight and sound as it is about taste.
“When you go to a restaurant, you’re not just going for the food, you’re going to have an overall experience of socializing, of stepping out of whatever everyday role you have,” says Anthony Piermarini of Studio Luz Architects, Ltd. (www.studioluz.net). “The whole atmosphere has to complement the cuisine and the service.” Studio Luz, led by principals Piermarini and Hansy Better Barraza, has designed several of the most thought-provoking, avant-garde spaces in Boston, incorporating aesthetic and structural elements that serve as conversation pieces and social tools. Perhaps the most innovative is Davis Square’s Diva Lounge (248 Elm Street, Somerville, 617.629.4963), the conjoined sister of Diva Indian Bistro that serves creative Indian small plates — a hybrid of old-world flavors and modern trends. Here, the design reflects that culinary melding of styles, embodying a trendy, futuristic vibe, thanks to rows of bubbly white domes that transform the wallsand ceiling into three-dimensional plastic orgies of lighting and texture. Banquettes slink along half the perimeter of the room, but the ideal place to scout and be scouted? Waiting in line for the one of the massive, eggplant-shaped bathroom “pods,” which may make your trip to the toilette an out-of-this-world experience.
Seiyo (1721 Washington Street, Boston, 617.447.2183) is another Studio Luz project that cleverly incorporates culture into design. With its fusion of European and Japanese culinary signatures, the sushi-bar-cum-wine-shop manages to convey both austerity and freshness in its design, thanks to sleek, clean lines and materials that serve as an interactive experience for vino enthusiasts, such as the perforated metal wall that allows imbibers to leave their cork behind once their bottle is popped. Blond-wood tables mimic sushi blocks, and a wall of green glass bottles adds a splash of translucent color. “If the food has a specific cultural background, we try to draw upon that cultural heritage,” says Piermarini. “Obviously, the idea of a wine rack was an inspiration [at Seiyo]; that idea of aging gracefully or changing over time.”
“The way you eat sushi is very different than other types of food,” adds Barraza. “We used that as an opportunity to explore the design.”
Fine wine also inspires design across town at Beacon Hill’s Bin 26 Enoteca (26 Charles Street, Boston, 617.723.5939). Once again, it’s the materials of the space that execute the wine bar’s theme, making creative and industrial use of cork and glass on the floors, walls, furniture, ceiling, and lighting fixtures. Sandra Fairbank of Fairbank Design assisted Boston firm Office Da in developing the look and feel of this unique eatery, which offers patrons the chance to sample more than 60 wines by the glass. “So many things influence the design,” says Fairbank. “The menu influences the design in abstract and literal ways. Abstract, because the feel of the restaurant needs to be connected to the style of the food. [Literal], because the menu can affect the plate sizes, which affect table sizes, and the style of service often is connected to the menu.” The menu at the enoteca features a wide and tasty array of charcuterie, cheeses, and small bites, perfect for matching with wines you might otherwise have to buy by the bottle.
Italian food inspires a different ambiance at Sorellina (One Huntington Avenue, Boston, 617.412.4600), where it’s black and white and contemporary all over. Crisp white linens and cushy white chairs make a dramatic background for the streamlined geometry of the bar and floor-to-ceiling wine rack. “Sorellina, which means ‘little sister’ in Italian, was developed out of the wantfor it to be a little sister restaurant to Mistral,” says Susan Orpin of the Orpin Group, which specializes in contemporary residential and commercial designs. “People are so conscious of fashion and interior design, and they’re not going to settle for bourgeois functionality anymore. People want a beautiful room.”
And what a beautiful room it is. The dining room at Sorellina is a yin-yang of vastness and intimacy, of elegance and chic; trendiness, says Orpin, is a low priority. “Trendy design is utterly disposable,” she explains. “I try to pick out finishes and iconic pieces that are more timeless. You have to constantly research so that you’re not picking out trends. You want a ‘look,’ but it has to be durable.”
A design concept that has stood the test of time is that of the Parisian brasserie. Gaslight (560 Harrison Avenue, Boston, 617.422.0224) literally brought the concept across the Atlantic, starting with a gorgeous zinc bar that was made in Paris. Restored wood floors and mosaic tiles add to the atmosphere, while two antique communal dining tables make for a true brasserie experience. If dining with strangers isn’t your thing, slip into one of Gaslight’s hodgepodge of tables, booths, and banquets.
Of course, one can’t possibly have a conversation about taste and style without a mention of Newbury Street. The city’s most fashionable street is lined with trendy restaurants, but it should come as no big shock that the goliath of gastronomic posh can be found on the corner of Newbury and Berkeley, inside one of the finest clothing stores in the world. Slip into Boston Public (Louis Boston, 234 Berkeley Street, Boston, 617.266.4680) for an unforgettable meal, thanks in part to the its extraordinary design. The restaurant is decked from floor to ceiling in warm vanillas and chocolate browns; reclining on a leather banquette makes you feel as though you’ve taken respite from the hustle and bustle of the city by hiding out in a millionaire’s living room. Here, the delight is in the details: sepia-toned murals depict scenes that could’ve been ripped from The Motorcycle Diaries; antique wooden screens divide the main dining room from the lounge area; and giant spherical lighting fixtures could be fashioned from Chinese paper-cuts. “I call it the triple-wow dining experience,” says LJ Sagat, co-owner (with Nino Trotta) of Boston Public. “It’s when customers come inside and say, ‘Wow!’ Then, they eat and say, ‘Wow!’ Then, they get the check, and another ‘Wow!’ We have excellent food, and we wanted to augment that with a certain design. After all, we’re located inside a worldly boutique. This restaurant is a triple wow.”
If you’ve yet to experience a “triple wow” meal yourself, might we suggest that the next time you make dinner plans, you consider whetting the rest of your senses along with your appetite? Consider what Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the greatest and most innovative architects of his generation, had to say: “dining is and always was a great artistic opportunity.” @
[Photos by www.mitchweiss.com]
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