The Greenleaf Restaurant & Karaoke opens its doors with “bespoke décor”

14th November 2011, 12:58pm

The Greenleaf Restaurant & Karaoke, which officially launched in London’s Holborn four weeks ago, boasts a “cool and contemporary interior” designed by creative agency 7Gods.

Ronald Gomes, creative director of 7Gods, gives Eat Out a step by step account of the design process:

What was your aim when designing this venture?  

When designing Greenleaf Restaurant and Karaoke, our vision was to look to the future and create a space that reflects the spirit of a worldly, contemporary Chinese culture rather than perpetuating the clichéd pastiche that predominates in areas such as Soho. The establishment's primary target market is the affluent Chinese students who live in the area. Coming from privileged backgrounds, they are accustomed to luxury and don't want to spend time somewhere that stereotypes their culture. There are also many legal practices in the area, and of course there are residents, so we created a space where everyone would feel welcome. 

How did you achieve this? For example what fabric/furniture did you use?  

7Gods helped create the entire branding and interior design concept for Greenleaf. Nothing in the space is overtly "Chinese" other than the character in the logo which translates as "Greenleaf". Instead, with a creative balance of yin and yang energies, we selected functional yet beautiful materials to bring a sense of serenity and openness to the restaurant and a youthful, vibrant modernity to the karaoke rooms. 

With a subtle nod to "yang" energies traditionally represented by the colour white, the ground floor restaurant's cool palette allows the flavourful ingredients of the Asian cuisine to appear even more vibrant. Smoky grey "Ghost" chairs from Philippe Starck, deep buttoned fawn leather banquettes, Carrera marble tables, limestone floors are used alongside bespoke décor crafted by 7Gods.

Downstairs in Greenleaf's karaoke space, high-gloss lacquers and deep jewel-tones shape its "yin" energies – traditionally associated with the colour black. At the intimate and dramatically styled reception area, LED and MR16 spotlights have been inset into the soffits and toe kicks of the walls, and the black granite-topped bar emanate an ethereal glow which makes the gleaming surfaces appear to float. Deep-buttoned banquettes covered with iridescent upholstery wrap around each of the two karaoke rooms and are backlit to create a theatrical effect. Vividly striped padded velvet walls contribute drama and aid the acoustics for the state-of-the-art karaoke system featuring 42" monitors.

What would you describe as the key and unique features?  

A clever wallcovering system of circles cut from taupe toned felt provides a stylishly retro vibe as well as sound absorption. 7Gods also created bespoke pendant lights for the restaurant. Made from loops of white webbing, the fixtures above the dining tables are stationary, whereas those in the front window are fashioned from motorised, laser-cut loops of PVC which open and close like "blossoming" lotus flowers. We have plans to take these into production and create an iPhone app for controlling their movement.

The entrance to the toilets makes an imaginative use of spare change where walls clad with 16,000 pence coins. As a result, the total installation costs came in at under a meagre £30 per sq. metre.

Similar in style to those in the restaurant, a pendant light made from black webbing illuminates the varied shades of copper.

Stage by stage how did you approach this project?  

We began by creating and refining Greenleaf's branding concept and then the interior design grew out of that. In an earlier version of the design, we wanted to the walls to be backlit white acrylic that was studded with thousands of porcelain versions of Chinese knickknacks. However once we itemised the actual costs, we realised that it just wouldn't work for the budget. All in all, we went through nine different iterations of the design, refining it until we arrived at the current version. Everyone is really happy with it, as it is a beautiful balance between practicality and aesthetics.       

Where did you get your inspiration from?  

After visiting his exhibit at the Tate last year, we were inspired by Ai Weiwei, the artist and revolutionary who is passionate about bringing political transparency and the free exchange of ideas to China. He has a vision for China's future as an open society, and we wanted to create a place that reflects an educated understanding of the momentum growing within the younger, social media-savvy generation.  

What is the size of the venue?  

136 sqm in total

Timetable, how long did it take from start to finish?  

The owners purchased the site last year, with 7Gods brought on board some months thereafter. We started moving rapidly early this year, developing the design to its current form and with construction starting in the spring. Some of the bespoke pieces took awhile to arrive – the marble tables from China, and then we needed to get the custom-sized white and black glass cladding for the walls and the curved karaoke bar downstairs exactly right. After wrapping-up all the finishing touches, Greenleaf ended-up being ready to open in October. 

What are your plans for the future? 

We would like to work more in India and the Indian subcontinent. We're currently in talks about designing the interiors and exteriors of a "show house" cottage for a residential development in Bangalore; it would be a very "eco-aware" project, responsibly built with regionally-sourced materials and using local labour to support its community.  

7Gods has also designed a range of products we hope to take to the market in the upcoming year. We've been experimenting with carbon fibre for a new range of light fixtures and are just figuring out the best way to carry out the mould-making process. 
We also have a couple other restaurant projects in London lined-up, but these are at the early stages so we can't say much at this point.

What do you like most about the design of the venue?
 
I like everything! One of my favourite parts though is the contrast between the high-gloss black glazing and the rough-textured charcoal slate in the karaoke spaces. I also really like how in the restaurant upstairs, we've been able to make the most of its linear shape and work with this elongated space rather than fight it.   

If you were to change anything on the design of this place, what would it be? And why?  

I wouldn't change a thing! We have used a creative mix of materials and space planning to accomplish the maximum impact and flexibility within a small footprint.   
 
How important is feedback from your customers? What kind of feedback were you getting?  

As the designers of the restaurant we cannot comment specifically on this, however we know that Greenleaf has been pretty much full every night since it opened, so the buzz is spreading quickly!

Do you think you used the space to the best of your ability?  

Absolutely – we considered very thoroughly how to make the most of the rather narrow footprint and planned the restaurant to comfortably seat the maximum number of guests without making them feel crowded. To create depth and openness in the restaurant, we selected light and neutral colours and highly reflective materials, such as the back wall's mirror and the entry's floor-to-ceiling glossy white glazing which doubles as operable cabinetry.    

Tell me about some of your other projects?

7Gods other current and recent projects include Aqua Sheko spas in Kensington, Soho and Selfridges Oxford Street in London; Assam Resort in the Himalayas, India; Stink Digital, London; Apocalypses Resort, Polynesia; Orit boutique, Notting Hill in London; Chiswick Road offices, London; eco-tourism resort, New Delhi; and a showroom and set for Clements Ribeiro at London Fashion Week. 

7Gods product ranges include lighting, wallpaper, wall tiles and reliefs suitable for both commercial and residential applications. It is currently designing a new range of carbon fibre lamps. For more information, please visit http://www.7gods.co.uk/