Photos: India's most eclectic restaurant interiors, which tell a story

Gong, Pune

Design : Pronit & Amisha Nath - Urban Studio

The singular defining element: Traditional oriental wood joinery techniques that are abstracted to form a latticed cloud that articulates the banal spaces volumetrically. Glowing paper box lights interspersed with dynamic projected images modulate the mood of the space on different days of the week.

3SEVENTY KITCHEN, Surat

Design : Harit Desai & Shefali Desai - Neovana Design

An example of vintage meets rustic meets modern, with custom hand-engraved stone walls and oakwood panels on ceilings. While teal blue leather furnishings and lit vertical lines give this space an Art Deco pop, the centrally-located, fenced circular seating works flawlessly as a design statement.

THE PIANO MAN JAZZ CLUB, Gurugram

Design : Arjun Sagar Gupta & Amith Chhabra - Livin’ Colours Design

The design inspiration is the Preservation Hall in New Orleans, interpreted within the two-floor space. With cast iron balustrades and red velvet curtains as the backdrop, the stage has a chandelier made up of 245 trumpets as the main design attraction. Besides bentwood café chairs and bar stools, the raised wooden auditorium seats and church-inspired pew seats maximise covers within the ground floor and offer a better view of the live acts.

CREAM AFFAIR

Dessert Studio, Puducherry

Design : Madhini Prathaban & Goutaman Prathaban - Architecture Interspace

As the location is a hotspot for tourists and local beachgoers, the design challenge was to expand the 10x13’ space within the existing shell by introducing a mezzanine level in the double height space. The design features a galleria with seating for groups across and along levels, and a mezzanine cube seating area. The production area, serving station and hand wash are neatly tucked in below the mezzanine floor and galleria.

CARDBOARD CAFE, Mumbai

Design : Nuru Karim - Nudes

The design concept is a 100 percent cardboard experience that advocates usage of environment-friendly products and renewable energy to combat climate change and global warming. Building with cardboard meant diving into research, which included prototyping and testing the material in real world constraints like humidity, water resistance and temperature fluctuations.

THE TABLE, Mumbai

Design : Tarik Currimbhoy

The design intent was to create a tranquil, timeless space with references to Victorian Bombay and the old restaurants that were a feature of the historic downtown. The double height space is inspired by the seven arches of the historic streets that intersect at the Table. Gleaming black Roman arches draped with beige sheers, a chevron floor, a long cross-cut Burma teak table, a floating mezzanine with musical notes—all work together to create a Bombay-style California inspired wine bar.

CAFFÉ

PALLADIO, Jaipur

Design : Barbara Miolini & Marie-Anne Oudejans

Inspired by Sicily—an island with a history spanning both Italian and Arab cultures—and her cuisine, Caffé Palladio, Jaipur, recreates an exotic world of sun-drenched palazzi and perfumed gardens. This is a garden retreat in light pastels to while away the afternoon with freshly prepared cakes and Turkish coffee, or spend a secluded evening dining in candle-light to the call of roosting peacocks, while the city fades quietly away.

MASQUE, Mumbai

Design : Ashiesh Shah

The name Masque itself alludes to an idea of performance. The space is inspired by structures of pioneering modernists like Le Corbusier, with bare natural materials like hard wood tables and stone-clad walls illumined by skylight. The amalgamation of materials and soft light creates a cocoon—one can no longer keep track of time, transported away from the bustle of the city.