Kamat & rozario Architecture

The client’s wish was to set up a global eatery, with an eclectic menu and a casual setting. The site measuring 3.3mx11.8m was considerably small and narrow and located in a very cosmopolitan albeit old part of town.

Our inspiration came from a quaint old watering hole called Dewar’s not far from here and we thought,can a friendship begin with - “Could you pass the salt please?” Though recently shut down, Dewar’s had become somewhat of an institution, whose spirit lay in perfect strangers coming together and sharing a table. As an ode to this spirit, a large communal table was envisaged, where people could strike a conversation with their fellow diners. It also became the best way to have as many covers as possible in the relatively small space available! The flooring is a mixed set of patterned cement tiles to act as a busy backdrop for this large monolithic wooden gesture.

Across the street is a dense green patch, almost at eye level. Thus the front façade is kept totally transparent to bring in this greenery. A large white wall is kept bare for local artists to showcase their work. The rear half of the site has the kitchen which is tucked below the mezzanine.

As a part of the design process we sought to consciously reuse as much material as possible and see what interesting features this would result in. All the furniture in the space is made out of teak wood, salvaged from old furniture owned by the client. Therefore the wooden boards forming the table tops have no uniform size or pattern. The dissimilar chairs are also recycled and retrofitted, in keeping with the eclectic theme of the eatery. The hanging lamps were designed from scrap we picked up from a local market – old clutch parts from trucks and perforated metal sheets.