Santé Spa Cuisine
Location- Jayanagar, Bangalore | Area - 3000 sqft | Year - 2022
The site is located in South Bangalore. It was an old villa inspired by colonial architecture which had to be repurposed and upgraded into a fine dine restaurant. It was an east facing site. Towards the North and south were high rise buildings, towards the west was another residence.
The project was envisioned to be a fine dine vegetarian restaurant with importance given to the sourcing of fresh ingredients which are locally produced, the cuisine and menu was set to create an experience which would in a way feel like a spa for the inner body. We designed the project keeping this as the core source of inspiration. Shades of green were used for different elements in the design, naturally occurring materials like cane, jute, clay sheets, wood, limestone, dried flowers and leaves, and banana leaf fabrics were used.
Cultural influence was brought in by using elements from Buddhism and representing the same through different murals and materials, this created a sense of calmness and serenity. Indoor and outdoor tropical plants were used extensively.
We had to make changes to the existing structure as per vastu and rework on all the services like lighting, electrical and plumbing.
We created terrarium tables, extensively used sal wood for wooden frames of doors and windows. The finish of all furniture and wood was a distressed natural finish, this was achieved by sanding the wood, applying a coat of white paint, sanding the paint again to create a distress finish and finally coating it with melamine polish to achieve the finish. We placed dried and treated natural flowers and leaves at the main door, they were sandwiched between 2 glass panels. A natural dried banana leaf fabric was used as a false ceiling, and rattan was extensively used.
The project speaks of sustainability with the use of natural materials which are repurposed, green hues of paint, buddhist cultural elements in the form of chakras, a wall mural in a line diagram showcasing different yoga asanas was installed using a continuous CNC cut metal panel.
The service, kitchen and seating area were completely separated, the setback was used to create a service pathway and different entries were provided for the staff moving in and out of the kitchen. The extensive use of natural materials stayed true to the whole brief and theme put forth by the clients. Character was brought into the space through representation of Buddhist cultural through different art forms and materials.
The existing flooring was retained and everything was designed around it, natural materials like cane, Banana leaf fabric, textured clay cladding sheets, dried leaves and flowers, jute rope and a few other materials were used. The energy usage was of major concern and we opted to use a vertical generator which occupied lesser space and at the same time was more efficient. The whole boundary of the site was surrounded with plants to reduce the heat coming through to the seating and indoor area which would reduce the usage of Air conditioners during summer.
The theme and vibe of the space was set with natural materials and hues of green in all forms in terms of paint colours, furniture fabrics, murals, etc. We added a Copper Rainwater chain instead of using a pipe which created a very serene entryway next to the main entrance. Very dim lighting with low wattage and warm colour was used to create a cosy vibe during the evenings and night time. Character and cultural influence was brought into the space by representing the ideals of Buddhism through different art forms and materials
Rattan weaves were extensively used in the project and are of traditional origin made by skilled local craftsmen. Buddhist Chakras were created using limestone, the same was carved into the stone to create a 3D effect.
