The design for Meraki begins at the reception area where a curved desk and built-in sitting area welcomes the guests and introduces a sitting lounge where guests can wait for their table to be called while having a drink.
Meraki mixes bold colors on the seats, natural wood on furniture and bar and brass accents in the lighting and accessories.
For the main sitting area, the bar is the central design piece. Reflective copper hexagons cover the lower part of the bar, a backlit display wall showcases the bottles available and a bright red glass walk-in wine cellar can be seen from the main dinning area and entrance. The central sitting allows for uninterrupted views of the terrace and outside dinning area, planters are placed along the veranda to create greenery that can be seen from the inside of the restaurant.
The private dining area can be separated for parties and private events by a curtain, creating an intimate space that showcases the inner green-wall and indirect mood lighting.
In both the dining and bar area we maximize the impact of the skylights by adding a hanging planter come light fixture. This simple metal box draws attention to the sky whilst bringing greenery inside, at night the illumination from these trays helps to create a defuse lighting and a warm, relaxed feeling to the space.
The cooking area is closed off so that the noise of the kitchen doesn’t mix in with the elegant ambiance of the restaurant.
Nova Café - Ground floor restaurant
Nova café is arranged using similar ideas as in Meraki, creating long, shared sitting spaces that create intimacy for guests and makes efficient use of the floorspace. Allowing for the free flow of people without bumping into each others tables. The back booths are circular and allow for bigger parties of people to join and enjoy the restaurant while adding a chic-retro touch to the decor.
The central buffet table takes advantage of the existing columns creating a bar that can be circulated on all sides by the guests without interrupting the flow of waiters and people that are buying coffee and having a meal.
The snack and coffee bar can be seen directly from the main entrance, allowing people to decide whether to stay for breakfast/brunch of just get a coffee and a quick snack to go.
The colors for Meraki range from greens, blues and yellows, with light colored wood, multi-colored cement tiles and circular lighting giving a brighter, fresher look to the daytime restaurant. Plants are also an important design feature at Nova, they are placed in between each circular booth to create privacy and are scattered around the rest of the restaurant to create a connection with the outside.
