From the materials to the furniture and lighting, we wanted to use techniques and motifs that are inspired by, and complement Nate’s skills as a chef
– Joyce Wang

Joyce Wang Studio have designed an atmospheric new restaurant in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, with charred walls and coppery furnishings evoking the head chef’s love of grill cooking.

The design team aimed to create “a relaxed and refined space” by modelling their vision around the passions, menu and culinary stylings of chef Nathan Green.

Shou Sugi Ban, a traditional charred cedar wood cladding used in Japanese vernacular architecture, has been chosen for the walls and columns, while wooden tables with etched roses pay tribute to Green’s grandmother Rhoda, after who the restaurant is named.

Reclaimed washing machine drums form a dramatic chandelier over the centre of the dining room, inspired by the frequent use of machine drums for home grills.

“Rhoda is as much about Nate's personal story as it is a celebration of his style of cooking,” said studio founder Joyce Wang. “From the materials to the furniture and lighting, we wanted to use techniques and motifs that are inspired by, and complement Nate’s skills as a chef.

“We took his signature processes as a starting point for experimenting with the material treatments. For example, the washing machine drums are smoked under a flame then bathed in vinegar, which brings out a beautiful, raw finish in the drums.”

Rhoda’s kitchen and cocktail bar face each other at either ends of the main dining room, with banquette seating to either side and freestanding tables in between. A pair of giant industrial sliding doors open up the restaurant to the outside world.

Separate to the restaurant, a six-seater alcove named Nate's Room introduces a barbershop theme with textured walls made from concrete pushed through chicken wire. This unorthodox "hairy wall finishing" is a nod to Green’s passion for barbering.

Speaking to CLAD last year, Wang revealed her excitement at working with a diverse range of “designers, craftsmen, fabricators, artists and clients” to “hear their personal take on the value of design.” She said: “My inspirations come from film, music, fashion, and from spending time with people who engross themselves in these mediums.”

FEATURE: CLAD people – Joyce Wang