Design brief:
Our brief was to rethink the private dining space at Hakkasan and come up with design solutions to make the most of the available area, introduce operational efficiencies, and help serve more guests, thereby increase revenue.
Design challenge:
The existing private dining space consisted of an under-utilised sommelier serving-station, and a single corridor that led to a dining room with a fixed group-dining layout and low-hanging pendants that didn't allow for flexibility. We also found that the furniture was showing signs of wear and tear, and the liquor display cabinets could be highlighted as a feature.
Design solution:
We looked to re-designed this space in its entirely to introduce malleability and multi-functionality. We replaced the sommelier station with a white bar counter and high chairs that could now server 12 additional guests.
We chose a deep red for the chairs to complement the private room's walls that are visible from here. New pendant lights were introduced, along with a sleek new whisky display unit. The existing cloak room at the end of the corridor was removed.
In the private dining room itself, we created a second entrance, and installed new solid double doors to allow for easy flow and service during busy hours.
We retained the existing curtains which could now conceal the new pocket storage niche we built into the wall, to store table tops.
We chose a delicate ceiling light that sits central to the room and adapts well to both intimate group dining as well as when being used as an overflow space.
FURNITURE FOR FLEXIBILITY
New loose furniture was introduced - square tables that could seat up to 30 guests in total. These tables could be combined and separated as needed, depending on the size of the party of guests.
For when the restaurant needed to use this room for a large private dining group, the doors could be slid shut, the tables brought together in the centre, and topped with two large table tops hidden away in the storage space.