DESIGNED TO DELIGHT
Design director of Wilson Associates Singapore’s Blueplate Studios, Dennis Tan shares the secret behind great F&B interiors, writes Tan Xi Voon
Wilson Associates has designed beautiful restaurants around the globe. Which areas of the world do you see as the best for new F&B concepts?
Having a presence globally through our studios in the Americas, Middle East, Europe and Asia has broadened our reach, and I would like to imagine Africa, South Africa or Eastern Europe as the new frontiers in broadening and experiencing the new palates and culture.
What challenges are unique to designing hospitality/ F&B spaces?
The location, surrounding businesses and community spirit. Those can influence the daily lives of individuals who use the F&B venues we design—for example, a meeting place for a business meal, or a first date, anniversary or to celebrate a promotion. Local culture and positioning among its competitors/neighbours are important levers that could be used to engage guests with a whole new approach, like mixed used, casual chic, hipster with a local flair, or even designing for a global appeal. Places like Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong, Xintiandi in Shanghai, Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur and Holland V in Singapore have these qualities to combine and harness to create an F&B neighbourhood that attracts people.
What makes an effective restaurant design?
Wilson’s F&B design studio, Blueplate, delivers revolutionary concepts for celebrity chefs such h as Gordon Ramsay, y, Clare Smyth and David Myers. Every y new project is an exciting adventure and we pay special al attention to four integral aspects: ambience, comfort, quality of food and guest experience. We aim to be leaders in shaping tomorrow’s F&B landscape, creating a design narrative broad and layered enough to offer guests a diverse experience. For instance, Adrift was inspired by David Myers himself and his culinary adventures which transverse different cultures. The restaurant’s striking interior is styled with timber walls and dark copper fixtures to create a sophisticated yet intimate ambience.
Is there a challenging project that you’re especially proud of?
Pan Pacific Singapore’s Edge and Hai Tien Lo restaurants were hugely ambitious renovation projects that were in response to stiff competition from nearby luxury hotels. Currently, both restaurants have set the tone and are benchmarks for the F&B community in Singapore.
How do you think food and interior design are linked?
In the human mind, both register emotions uniqueue to the moment. All sensesenses are activated in a conscious and subconscious way.
If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Isaac Asimov.
What would you have and where?
I would imagine having a Chinese reunion dinner at my granny’s house, eating my favourite Hainanese pork chops.