Elements Café is a popular dining place in the Amara Hotel in Singapore seating up to 150 persons. The owners hired design firm ‘designphase dba’ to re-plan and re-design this well known venue.
The foundation of designphase dba’s conceptual approach lay in the branding of Element Café, interpreting this by positioning the restaurant with renewed enthusiasm towards the ‘elements’ that make for a great dining experience. To do this, the team was also keen to celebrate the origins of the brand, the ‘elements’ of the ingredients and the culinary artistry behind the opulent buffet spread available for its three meals a day.
In re-defining the way a Chef might organise his stock of produce, herbs, spices and ingredients and in a way which could be understood as ‘dining in his kitchen’, the concept came to life with elegant and refined discipline.
The beauty of natural products, such as herringbone-pattern laid marble and timber floor, supports the fresh and natural produce displayed on the long buffet, stretching the full length of the restaurant. The buffet, designed as individual ‘tables’ showcasing the delicious offerings look more elegant and light as individual elements. This is emphasized by the ‘plate-stocks’, also individually supported under the buffet. Having the food displayed on independent tables also helps to separate various cuisine categories.
Rising to the ceiling behind the sumptuous buffet is the café’s display of fresh ingredients used in their world-class menu. The design harks back as a more traditional provision shop idea, though polished, purified and refined as a unifying symbolization of the restaurant’s name.
The segmented internal dining room provides a variety of seating options, from individual guest seating, to full-on, party spaces. These alternatives are operationally supplemented with individual sound and lighting controls. Throughout Element Café, classic original Eames dining chairs emphasize the hotel’s commitment to quality and originality.
