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      Weiszblüth & Brown designs tiny Thai eatery in LA that “packs a punch”

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      Diners pack tightly into this informal Thai restaurant in Los Angeles, which local studio Weiszblüth & Brown has designed to echo the intense flavours of the food served.

      Holy Basil Market has 16 seats within just 90 square feet (8.4 square metres) of space in Atwater Village, following a highly successful first location Downtown.
      Holy Basil Market has space for just 16 diners, who are accommodated thanks to flexible furnitureChefs and partners Wedchayan “Deau” Arpapornnopparat and Tongkmala “Joy” Yuons tasked Weiszblüth & Brown with maximising the compact unit so that the restaurant would feel as bustling as a Bangkok street market.
      “Weiszblüth & Brown took cues from the chef’s tendency for bright, intense flavors and hard-edge branding,” said the studio. “The space, like the food, packs a punch.”
      The stainless steel service counter has a low shelf for guestsDue to the lack of floor area, the designers removed the visual barrier between back and front of house, continuing the stainless steel from the kitchen into the dining space.

      A metal service counter has a lower shelf for diners to perch against, while the same material appears as small chairs and stools.
      Red baskets are stacked to create bases for tables that can easily be moved or put awayBright red rectangular baskets are stacked along the wall to form shelving and act as bases for flexible tables that can easily be rearranged.
      Tops for these ad-hoc tables were specially designed to slot neatly over two boxes and are wrapped in vinyl that’s covered with imagery of food laid on a tablecloth.
      Stainless steel storage containers and utensils add to the restaurant’s informal vibeThe baskets can also be upturned and used at extra stools during busy periods, or stored to the side if more floor area is required.
      Additional seating is provided in a partially covered area outside the entrance, under a neon sign that spells out the restaurant’s name.

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      Glass panels and doors fill an arched opening that provides views into to brightly lit space from the alley.
      “Eater LA described the space as ‘almost suffocatingly intimate’, and it’s a feat of hospitality that Deau and Joy are able to welcome so many into such a small space,” said Weiszblüth & Brown.
      The table tops are wrapped in vinyl that’s covered with imagery of food laid on a tableclothA trend for more intimate dining spaces appears to be gaining popularity in the US, evident in the launch of several restaurants that can seat just a handful of guests.
      An all-pink restaurant with 18 covers recently opened in Richmond, Virginia, while an omakase spot with room for only eight in New York began welcoming diners earlier this year.
      Additional seating is provided outside the entrance, which is via glass doors within an arched windowCeramicist Alex Reed and architectural designer Dutra Brown founded Weiszblüth & Brown after Dezeen published their Harvest Shop pop-up designed for lifestyle brand Flamingo Estate in 2020.
      The project was shortlisted in the small retail interior category of Dezeen Awards 2021, and the duo then formalised their collaborative practice that works from product to architecture scale.
      The photography is by Patcha.

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      22RE takes “deconstructivist” approach to menswear store in LA

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      Los Angeles-based studio 22RE has combined metal grids, black and mirrored surfaces, and bold splashes of colour inside this men’s multi-brand boutique in the city’s Arts District.

      The second Departamento location is situated in the Signal retail enclave, which occupies a series of warehouses southeast of Downtown LA.
      The Departamento store features custom elements like a green fibreglass and resin jewellery displayUsing the building’s industrial bones to inform design decisions, 22RE took styling sensibilities of 20th-century modernists like Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra.
      “Inside, 22RE leans into the original architecture’s industrial elements through a deconstructivist lens,” said the studio.
      From inside a coffee shop, visitors pass through a concealed entrance and a mirrored portal to access the storeThe store’s entrance is concealed inside a Concierge Coffee, leading to a mirrored portal that opens onto the shop floor.

      While the layout follows a typical grid, the designers have inserted a variety of partitions, volumes and displays that “disrupt” the flow and encourage shoppers to explore.
      A triangular niche with mirrored walls creates infinite reflections”This non-linear layout challenges the traditional browsing experience and provides an unconventional yet effective approach to shopping,” said 22RE.
      A pair of curved metal-clad walls that evoke a Richard Serra sculpture form a narrow corridor from one area to another, while also displaying garments on their concave sides.
      Partitions and volumes are strategically placed to frame views and encourage explorationBlackened wood panels form an enclosed space, inside which bright white walls and repurposed wooden framing contrast dramatically with the rest of the store interior.
      “The space, entered via a slatted, sliding door, invites guests to experience the collection in a ryokan-inspired setting, evoking the traditional Japanese inn,” said 22RE.
      A red cylindrical element acts a fitting roomThis shop-in-shop was designed in collaboration with fashion brand Taiga Takahashi, and also features shelving made from tatami mats and flooring intended to resemble pebble stones.
      Another triangular niche features mirrored walls that create infinite reflections of the apparel and the aubergine-coloured carpet on the floor.

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      “Collections are hung and displayed via monolithic and sculpturesque forms that divide up the space, creating a fluid but juxtaposing dichotomy between the heavier wood forms and the lighter metallic elements,” 22RE said.
      A red cylindrical volume is used as a fitting room, while further dressing areas are tucked away behind silver curtains.
      22RE collaborated with Taiga Takahashi on a blackened wood shop-in-shop spaceCustom elements include a green fibreglass resin-and-foam jewellery case and a chiselled aluminium side table.
      A white aluminium ceiling grid stretches across the entire store, extending over all of the freestanding elements, with lighting embedded behind creating futuristic glowing patches.
      Influenced by Japanese ryokan inns, the space features white walls and repurposed timber framing22RE was founded by principal Dean Levin in 2021, and has since completed a range of interior design projects across the US.
      The studio recently wrapped up the offices for a creative music agency in LA that include a 1970s-style sunken meeting room and a golf clothing boutique in Miami lined with pale-green stucco.
      The photography is by Erik Stackpole Undehn.

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