Daytrip creates "atmospheric and slightly cinematic" interior for Cafe Kowloon
Utilitarian surfaces are contrasted with glossy finishes and splashes of red and green inside Cafe Kowloon, a modern Cantonese restaurant in east London designed by local studio Daytrip.
Set beneath a railway arch in London Fields, guests enter Cafe Kowloon via the restaurant's daytime wonton noodle bar, Wonton Charlie's.
Designed by Daytrip in collaboration with restaurant group 6 of 1, the two spaces were intended to represent the more traditional and contemporary sides of Hong Kong's food culture.
"We were not interested in pastiche, but in capturing the spirit of Hong Kong's cha chaan teng culture and reinterpreting it through a contemporary London lens," Daytrip co-founder Iwan Halstead told Dezeen.
"The space needed to feel intimate, atmospheric and slightly cinematic – a venue that is inherently social, energetic and fun," he said.
"We wanted to embrace a lo-fi materiality and sense of street life through the layering of finishes, reflective surfaces and moments of visual intensity."
Responding to the industrial character of the site, pale corrugated surfaces line the walls and ceilings of the railway arches.
Positioned on a raised platform, ten wooden barstools with red seats are tucked beneath a stainless steel counter overlooking the restaurant's open kitchen.
The more industrial materials are offset with rich glossy brown mosaic tiles, wood panelling and bright green fibreglass shelving suspended from the arched ceiling.
In the restaurant's main dining space, glossy red tables with built-in lazy Susans catch and reflect light, adding contrast to the interior.
Curved cherry timber banquettes with leather upholstery wrap around the tables to provide a variety of seating for both small and large groups within the relatively tight footprint.
"The furniture plays an important role in softening the more industrial aspects of the space," said Halstead.
"The banquettes, in particular, were designed to introduce warmth and comfort, using timber frames and aged caramel leather upholstery to create a more tactile, human layer within the interior."
Illuminated by a large neon sign, the same bright green grating used for the kitchen shelves also lines the wall behind the bar in the main dining area. The space is kitted out with a sound system built for DJ sets on the weekends.
The neon green glow from the sign is layered with softer, warmer lighting designed to create an intimate and ambient atmosphere.
"Colour was a key storytelling device – the base palette is relatively grounded, with neutrals, browns and natural timbers establishing a calm and cohesive backdrop," stated Halstead.
"This is contrasted with vivid jade green and cherry red, introducing moments of high contrast through the fibreglass grating shelving and threshold elements, as well as within the glossy laminate tables and leather upholstery," he continued.
"The balance between muted tones and saturated highlights was important in achieving a space that feels both composed and energetic – in the evening, as the light softens, the neon begins to transform the dining space."
Bright red lighting and stainless steel sinks were chosen for the bathrooms to continue the atmosphere created in the dining space.
Daytrip is a London-based interior and architecture studio founded by Iwan Halstead and Emily Potter.
Other projects by the studio recently featured on Dezeen include an office that combines historical features and contemporary furniture and a minimalist home extension in north London.
The photography is by Studio Hahn.
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