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    Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos creates alfresco feeling inside Mexico City skyscraper restaurant

    Expansive triple-height windows and fully grown trees feature in this eatery at the top of a Mexico City skyscraper, designed by local firm Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos to create the impression of dining in a traditional Mexican courtyard.

    Called Ling Ling, the Asian fusion restaurant is located on the 56th floor of the Chapultepec Uno skyscraper on Paseo de la Reforma avenue and offers nearly 360-degree views of the city.
    Ling Ling is a skyscraper restaurant by Sordo Madaleno ArquitectosArchitecture firm Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos was asked to revamp the 1,000-square-metre interior to create the sensation of dining in one of the grand courtyards and terraces that are typical of Mexican architecture.
    The firm said it took a formal approach to the design process, using structural elements and construction methods to help blur the boundary between architecture and interior design.
    Greenery was incorporated throughout the interiorAt the heart of Ling Ling is a glazed triple-height space dubbed the “terrace”, which is covered by a portico-style structure.

    Here, planters filled with mature trees sit among the tables while climbing plants wrap around columns and hang from the portico structure overhead.
    The inner salon and dining room feature lowered ceilingsCeilings were brought down to human scale for the inner salon and the dining room, which are enclosed within vaulted timber structures.
    Highlighted by gentle illumination, these more intimate, cavernous spaces are fitted with purpose-built furniture.

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    The design team selected a palette of vegetal hues for Ling Ling’s interior to complement the exuberant greenery installed throughout the space.
    Other plant-laden restaurant interiors featured on Dezeen include an “urban orangery” designed by Space Copenhagen that resembles a cross between a brasserie and a courtyard.
    Ling Ling has views across the cityElsewhere in Mexico City, architecture studio Taller ADG has created a dining area with a vaulted ceiling to echo old Italian trattorias.
    The photography is by LGM Studio.

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    GOA tops Metasequoia Grove Restaurant with cluster of tree-informed pyramids

    Chinese studio Group of Architects has created a restaurant topped with a canopy made from a series of aluminium pyramidal forms in the village of Suzhou, China.

    The structure, which was informed by a grove of metasequoia trees, was designed by Group of Architects (GOA) for a waterside site in China’s Jiangnan region.
    Metasequoia Grove Restaurant by Group of Architects features a canopy inspired by the trees on site”We want the design of Metasequoia Grove Restaurant to integrate into its natural setting and become a part of the landscape,” the project’s leading architect Chen Binxin told Dezeen.
    “The forms of the metasequoia trees are abstracted and translated into a purely geometric architectural language, a pyramidal frustum.”
    The restaurant features a group of pyramidal aluminium formsMultiple versions of the pyramidal shape in three different scales form the forest-like canopy that tops the restaurant.

    Skylights top each pyramidal module, letting light enter the interior, while short eaves at the canopy’s base frame views across the surrounding wetland.
    Light enters the space through the skylights and perforations in the pyramidsThe pyramidal roof modules comprise three layers: an outer layer of perforated aluminium panels, a central glass layer that increases luminosity, and an inner layer of wood panels.
    “We chose steel columns to respond to the density and verticality of tree trunks and perforated aluminium panels as the roof canopies’ outer layer to imitate the dancing sunlight spots and shadows that filter through leaves,” said Chen.

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    Kitchens and private dining balconies are located in the restaurant’s eastern wing, which is wrapped in a rubble stone facade.
    In an effort to emphasise the lightness of the structure, the studio designed the building to have only 10 load-bearing columns, which have been arranged around the edges of the space. Opposite each of the load-bearing columns is a group of three columns along the window frames.
    Slim columns support the weight of the structureBy adding the same paving to the interior and the waterside terrace, the studio aimed to create a cohesive aesthetic across the restaurant and its exterior.
    Two-metre-wide, single-bay floor-to-ceiling windows connected by narrow frames enhance the visual openness of the space.
    The roof hangs over dining spaces surrounded by glass wallsSet to open in October, the restaurant will be used as both a dining space for visitors and a small banquet hall for holding public events.
    It is part of a larger governmental scheme for the redevelopment of Shanwan village, which will include a B&B also designed by the studio, currently under construction. The proposed development includes guest rooms, additional restaurants, an outdoor events space and a pool, alongside preserved residential houses and forests.
    “As architects, we want to increase the recognition and attention to this village by reinforcing a sense of local identity through the design and turning this project into an attractor to promote the local ecotourism industry while activating the surrounding areas,” said Chen.
    Metasequoia Grove Restaurant by Group of Architects has been longlisted in the hospitality building category of Dezeen Awards 2022.
    Other restaurants in China featured on Dezeen include Cheng Chung Design’s restaurant inside a brick art installation and a 0321’s restaurant containing a florist enclosed in a translucent pink box.
    The photography is by In Between.

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    Norm Architects creates inside-out greenhouse restaurant in a Swedish meadow

    Danish studio Norm Architects has completed Äng, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Sweden that features a glasshouse entrance and a subterranean wine cellar.

    The restaurant is located in the middle of a meadow in Ästad Vingård – one of Sweden’s largest vineyards.
    Norm Architects has added the Äng restaurant to a Swedish vineyardThe main component of the restaurant is a minimal glass building supported by a steel structure. Its design resembles an inside-out greenhouse, with the steel structure on the inside and a smooth exterior that reflects its meadow surroundings.
    Accessed via a stone pathway that winds through the grasses and crops, guests enter Äng through a glass door, where the stone flooring continues inside.
    The restaurant has a steel structure surrounded by glass panelsThe entrance takes guests past an open kitchen with a stone counter and bespoke artworks of organic forms.

    Inside, the glass building is designed to give diners the feeling that they are sitting in the middle of the field with nothing but clear skies overhead.
    “With inspiration found in both the unspoiled Nordic nature surrounding the premises of Äng and Japanese sensibilities in design aesthetics and craftsmanship, the interior provides a holistic, sensory experience,” said Frederik Werner, partner at Norm Architects.
    A stone counter and oak furniture features in the open dining spaceThe interiors are furnished with oak furniture by Japanese brand Karimoku, for which Werner is the creative director, and wood and stone sculptures made by Norwegian artist Anders Pfeffer Gjengedal .
    The furniture include the Äng lounge table, which was designed exclusively for the restaurant and constructed from solid oak.
    Other bespoke pieces include an oak serving tray by Keiji Ashizawa and a solid wood trolley inspired by the umbrella and shoe racks by the entrance of Japanese temples.
    Solid oak furniture by Karimoku fills the spaceA range of tableware designed to complement the restaurant’s atmosphere was created in collaboration with Sweden-based design studio Bonni Bonne.
    The collection of plates and bowls are made from green wood, an ancient woodworking method that creates natural silhouettes and raw textures.
    A grey cube-shaped volume is surrounded by further seatingArtworks by Danish designer Sara Martinsen made from materials found in the forest are also displayed.
    Norm Architects said its aim was to carefully balance every element of the design from architecture to design, lighting, taste, smell, and sound.

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    “The fundamental ambition behind the Michelin-starred Restaurang Äng is in many ways in line with Norm Architects’ design philosophy of striking a delicate balance between all the sensory experiences that make up a space to create a harmonious setting, where all elements support one another,” explained Norm Architects partner Peter Eland.
    A series of stone sculptures from a quarry in Växjö, Sweden, reference the Japanese Karesansui gardens of raked sand and stone. These dry landscape gardens celebrate yohaku-no-bi, meaning the beauty of blank space.
    Stone sculptures from a Växjö quarry sit in the spaceThe interior also features discrete acoustic walls. Constructed from canvas, the studio specified the panels be made in a shade reminiscent of the jute sacks that are used to store grain.
    Bespoke cabinetry is filled with sculptures and ceramics by Viki Weiland and Ulla Bang, both artists who work with curved, simple forms.

    Ceramic pieces are on display in the restaurantAs well as the main restaurant spaces, Äng also has a hidden elevator that transports guests underground to a catacomb-like wine cellar with a dark lounge setting in its centre.
    “With the changing of light, we play on the phenomenon of chiaroscuro; a technique from visual arts used to represent light and shadow as they define objects in order to achieve a sense of volume,” said Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen, architect and founding partner at Norm Architects.
    “When stepping into the shadows, the vision weakens while the remaining senses intensify. One automatically pays more attention to sounds, smells, tastes and touch and even the intuition and instinct are strengthened.”
    The cave-like wine cellar was inspired by the visual arts technique chiaroscuroTo emphasize the transitions from one atmosphere to another, the floor tiles in the wine cellar recall a brick floor to enhance the cave-like feel, while the main dining room has a wooden floor.
    Founded in 2008, Norm Architects says its work builds on the traditions of Scandinavian design. Other recent projects by the Danish studio include a spa-like dental clinic modelled on art galleries, and a Swedish forest retreat “designed for a simple life”.
    The photography is by Jonas Bjerre Poulson.

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    Traditional Chinese roof tiles decorate the interior of Blue Bottle Coffee shop in Shanghai

    Japanese studio Keiji Ashizawa Design has used traditional Chinese roof tiles as the key material at Blue Bottle Coffee’s latest shop in Shanghai to celebrate local culture.

    Set to open on Friday, the cafe is located on the first and second floors of a building connected to the Kerry Centre in downtown Shanghai, close to the over 1,000-year-old Jing’an Temple.
    The new Blue Bottle Coffee shop is located in downtown ShanghaiKeiji Ashizawa Design placed a total of 13,000 handmade brick tiles on the bar counter, stairwell wall and the lounge area of the cafe.
    This particular type of bricks, which have semi-circular edges, were made in Yixing, a nearby city that is known for its clayware manufacturing. A new smoking process was used for the surface of the tiles to increase their strength and create a subtle reflective effect.
    Bespoke handmade brick tiles were used to cover the bar counter”As Blue Bottle Coffee commits to create local communities around their cafes, we always determine the materials and design based on the local, both culture and history,” studio founder Keiji Ashizawa said.

    “Working on a project in mainland China as a Japanese architectural firm, I felt that there was an importance in considering the common aspects between the two cultures,” he added.
    “With that in mind, we looked through images I photographed and found an image of a roof I took from a restaurant in Chengdu, which inspired me to use roof tiles for the cafe.”
    The stairwell allows visitors to enjoy views of the coffee-making processA coffee bar that connects both floors is at the centre of the space, while seating and product displaying areas are arranged around it.
    According to Blue Bottle Coffee, this is to encourage customers to interact with the process of coffee making.
    An open lounge is on the second floor of the cafeThe stairwell is right next to the bar counter on the first floor so that when people walk up to the second floor, they are able to watch coffee being made at the bar area from different heights.
    An open lounge space at the second floor features a hanging paper light above a seating area with dark-brown furniture and leather cushions.

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    Where the shop connects to the Kerry Centre, a series of semi-circular recessed seating areas have been carved out from the wall on both floors.
    The rounded shape of the seating areas not only responds to the roof tiles but also creates privacy for the customers dining in the cafe.
    Keiji Ashizawa Design used concrete in a variety of colours and textures all over the cafe, which has structural columns and slabs in raw concrete. Natural oak furniture was selected to add warmth to the interior.
    The seating areas are designed to reflect the shape of traditional Chinese roof tilesBlue Bottle Coffee was founded as a small roastery in Oakland, California, by James Freeman in 2002 and has since grown into a chain of cafes across the USA and Asia.
    This is the second Blue Bottle Coffee shop in mainland China. The first one was opened in February this year, designed by Schemata Architects, also in Shanghai.
    Previously, Keiji Ashizawa Design has designed three Blue Bottle Coffee shops in Japan.
    The photography is by Chen Hao.

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    Space Copenhagen adds “otherworldly” pieces to Antwerp restaurant

    A cast brass chandelier and a colourful light installation are just some of the site-specific pieces Space Copenhagen installed in the interior of the Blueness restaurant in Antwerp.

    Called Blueness, the restaurant is located in the heart of Antwerp’s fashion district, on the ground floor of a 17th-century renaissance building.
    Space Copenhagen filled the interior of the Blueness restaurant with specially commissioned furnitureIt is three-Michelin-star chef Sergio Herman’s third restaurant and the second that he has collaborated on with Space Copenhagen following Le Pristine, a moodily-lit restaurant that takes its design cues from the Old Masters.
    At Blueness, the menu consists of fine-casual cuisine with French and Japanese influences.
    The restaurant’s design was informed by the history of the buildingThe Danish design studio, headed by Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard Rützou, wanted to reflect the menu’s duality within the interior and also showcase the different purposes and activities of the building throughout history.

    As a result, the interior fuses the building’s classical architecture with new Scandinavian design elements while its layout offers diners the option of a theatrical dining experience at the custom bar, where they can observe the open kitchen, or a tranquil candlelit dinner experience in the main dining room.
    The restaurant features a bar with views into the kitchenOriginal features – such as tall ceilings, carved sandstone and marble columns and elaborate metalwork window and door frames – are paired with clean-lined furniture and a number of site-specific works from artists including Valentin Loellmann, Destroyers Builders and Mae Engelgeer.
    The studio describes these bespoke commissions as “otherworldly” with Rützou referring to them as “unexpected esoteric futuristic elements”.
    The curved bar is made from dark red walnut woodThe custom bar is the work of Destroyers Builders, a Brussels and Antwerp-based design studio, founded by Linde Freya Tangelder.
    Handmade in deep red walnut wood, it has rounded edges which have been carefully treated to create a smooth tactile surface. The dark red walnut is complemented by brushed steel worksurfaces for easy cleaning and maintenance.
    Dark furnishings contrast the light stone walls of the 17th-century buildingA series of dark oak Spine barstools designed by Space Copenhagen for Danish furniture brand Frederica Furniture line the front of the bar. As well as the bar, Destroyers Builders also crafted a futuristic waiter’s station in cast aluminium.
    The dining room is furnished with comfortable furniture in subtle colour tones and natural materials such as wood, stone, brass and linen.

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    A sculptural candlelight chandelier by artist Loellmann hangs in the centre of the space. Its four arms stretch down from the ceiling with platforms for candles that provide gentle, diffused light.
    Bespoke light oak tables are surrounded by soft benches upholstered in warm rose fabric by Sahco and Kvadrat while other tables in the space are flanked by sand-coloured Loafer dining chairs by Space Copenhagen for &Tradition.
    Fabric-coated benches and light wooden chairs surround the restaurant’s tablesFour custom pieces by Latvian designer Germans Ermičs were commissioned for the restaurant, the largest of which transforms the main staircase into an immersive art experience with copper-toned cladding that shifts from dark to light tones as guests descend.
    In the basement, Ermičs has created a colourful light installation positioned behind wrought metal bars that date back to the 18th Century.
    Several wall installations were also commissioned for the restaurantUpstairs, bespoke tatami drapes by Dutch artist Englegeer created a restful ambience.
    “More than anything this project has been shaped by a series of very intuitive processes, from our very first thoughts about the design of the restaurant, that carried through to the end result,” commented Henriksen.
    “The design process has been fueled by the fragmented history of the 17th-century renaissance building and the ongoing dialogue between the team and the commissioned artists who are central to the final design.”
    Known for its work in the hospitality industry, Space Copenhagen is the studio behind Esmée, a classic brasserie with a courtyard feel in the heart of Copenhagen, and Musling, a seafood restaurant overlooking Copenhagen’s Torvehallerne food market.
    The photography is by Peter Paul de Meijer and Eline Willaert.

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    Muted material palette defines monochrome Chinese restaurant by StudioAC

    Canadian firm StudioAC combined micro cement, stainless steel and vinyl to form the interiors of a Chinese restaurant in Ontario designed to “respond to the context of the strip mall” in which it is located.

    Called Bao, the restaurant is located in the city of Markham, Ontario. It is positioned between a convenience store and a pharmacy along a strip of suburban shops.
    Bao is positioned along a strip of suburban shopsStudioAC’s aim was to create an interior that would provide an efficient dining experience as well as easy takeaway and delivery access, while also promoting Bao’s distinctive visual style.
    To do so, the studio arranged the interior around two angled tangent lines drawn from large street-facing windows to an open kitchen positioned at the back of the restaurant.
    StudioAC designed the eatery with monochrome interiors”These lines skew the visual perspective into the store to dramatise food preparation,” StudioAC told Dezeen.

    While Bao’s interior design stands out from the traditional shops that flank it, the restaurant’s facade was kept deliberately simple to blend into its suburban environment.
    Tables and seating were created in microcement”On the one hand, the project embraces the banal nature of the strip mall as we haven’t really done anything to the exterior,” explained the designers.
    “But on the other hand, the project’s interior responds to the context of the strip mall by introducing a unique visual terminus along an otherwise mundane facade made up of repetitive box stores.”

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    StudioAC chose to use a minimal palette of three materials throughout the monochrome interior design to let the restaurant’s statement layout speak for itself.
    Rectilinear grey microcement tables, benches and stools are positioned on each side of the restaurant, while the open kitchen was finished in stainless steel that was chosen for its striking reflective design as well as its durability.
    Two tangent lines were drawn from the windows to the open kitchenAbove the seating, the team built chunky bulkheads that are positioned parallel to one another. Below these hang contrastingly delicate banners made from vinyl vertical blinds, which were designed in a nod to traditional Chinese lanterns.
    Chosen as a material partly for their cost-effectiveness, the backlit blinds also aim to introduce “moments of softness and intimacy” to the otherwise harsh and muted interiors.
    “We considered all of the furniture as part of the architecture,” explained the designers, who created the custom tables and seating for the project.
    Vinyl backlit “banners” create playful lightingStudioAC has completed numerous other interior designs that are led by a minimalist approach. These include a Toronto house with a pair of timber-clad bedrooms and a luxury cannabis dispensery with faceted walls.
    The photography is by Jeremie Warshafsky Photography.

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    AvroKO draws on Korean culture for Oiji Mi restaurant in New York

    Traditional designs from Korea, from houses to hairpins, are reworked to create the interiors of this Manhattan restaurant by New York studio AvroKO.

    AvroKo, a studio that focuses on hospitality, completed Oiji Mi, an upscale Korean dining spot in the Flatiron District – an area once home to over 100 social clubs during the Gilded Age.
    Elements throughout Oiji Mi informed by traditional Korean designs include custom lighting”Oiji Mi’s design recalls these classic Manhattan social clubs through bold marbles, rich leather and velvet fabrics and dark walnut woods, but reimagines them to represent the fusion of Korean and American culture,” said the design studio.
    AvroKO based the main dining room on a hanok, a traditional Korean home dating back to the 14th century.
    Interlocking wooden beams mimic those used to build hanok housesInterlocking timber beams across the ceiling and walls mimic those used to construct the hanok, while gridded partitions echo the windows and screens found inside.

    A wooden flooring system known as daecheong runs through the restaurant, from the bar area at the front to the open dining space behind.
    The bar is located at the front of the space, while the dining area is found behindLighting is also based on the shapes and textures of Korean jewellery, and decorative hairpins called binyeo.
    Among these bespoke designs are pendants suspended straight above the tables, bead-like sconces and chandeliers that arc out from a central column.

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    “The designers also brought in elements of dansaekhwa, or the repetition of action which is known to stabilise and restore those in its presence,” AvroKO said.
    This principle is apparent in the use of textiles, such as a custom installation above the bar influenced by jogakbo, a style that uses patchwork to create flowing patterns and shapes.
    Materials like walnut and brass are used to evoke the social clubs of the Gilded AgeTabletops of walnut and marble accompany a palette of teal and claret across the walls and upholstery.
    Mirrored and tinted metal panels under the tall ceilings make the space feel larger, and also harken back to the Gilded Age clubs.
    Mirrored panels help to visually extend the dining spaceAvroKO is behind the designs of many well-known restaurants and hotels in New York City and beyond.
    The firm’s recent projects have included a members’ club in Chicago and an eatery and entertainment space in Nashville.
    The photography is by Christian Harder.

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    Frederick Tang Architecture turns Brooklyn building into restaurant celebrating owners’ Lebanese roots

    Architecture and interior design studio Frederick Tang Architecture has transformed a 19th-century building into a Lebanese restaurant in Brooklyn with “an abundance of textures”.

    Named Nabila’s, the restaurant opened in May 2022 and was designed in collaboration with restaurant co-owner Mike Farah. The renovation transformed a formerly dark, segmented space into a restaurant that aims to reflect the heritage of its owners – a mother and her son.
    The renovation transformed the old building into a bright, colourful space”The client wanted to create an authentic food experience, one that reflected his Lebanese background and that evoked the spirit of his mother’s dinner parties.” Frederick Tang Architecture (FTA) director of interior design and branding Barbara Reyes told Dezeen.
    “The result is an abundance of textures, patterns, lush colours, and hints of Middle Eastern moments while celebrating his mother’s home cooking.”
    Accents of colour and patterns call upon Middle Eastern designNabila’s takes up the ground floor of an 1886 Queen Anne corner building in Cobble Hill, a Brooklyn neighbourhood where restaurant co-owner Farah grew up.

    Frederick Tang Architecture transformed the existing structure into a bright space with curving architectural motifs.
    Through the use of rich materials and colour palettes, the studio sought to nod to the Lebanese roots of the owners whilst embracing aspects of the existing building that would work with the new design.
    The restaurant was renovated from an existing corner building in Cobble Hill”Our favourite projects are ones with some historic contexts when we can create something that’s both old and new,” said FTA director of design Frederick Tang. “We loved playing with some original details and inventing new ones that work with them.”
    “Before we started the project, the space was occupied by a popular gastropub style restaurant,” Tang told Dezeen.
    “It was a neighbourhood staple, so the client felt pressure to maintain some history while being true to the roots of this project,” Reyes added.
    FTA painted the timber-clad ground floor black and added green awnings”The interior was more like a moody library with lots of dark wood and it had a lot of character but we knew we wanted to make it feel much lighter,” Tang continued.
    The upper floors of the Cobble Hill building are made from brick, whilst the ground floor is clad in timber with ornamental mouldings. The facade has now been painted black, with curved forest green awnings referencing the interior.

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    Upon entering, guests are met with a curving quartz counter that arcs away from the entryway.
    The counter is used to display dishes in a way that aims to reflect the abundant spreads of food at the owner’s dinner parties which inspired the design.
    A feast-like display of food acts as a visual menuThe wall behind the counter is covered in fish scale cement tiles. Pendant-style lights from Kelly Wearstler’s Tableau collection hang from the ceiling above.
    Beyond this, patterned finishes that the studio felt reflect Lebanese art, architecture and foliage become visible.
    The studio used plants and patterned wallpaper to bring in themes of foliage”We started with some source imagery of Middle Eastern themes, and we knew we did not want to imitate or create a pastiche, but we wanted to reference it with a lighter touch – it came in the rounded corners, the arches, the colours, and the patterns,” said Tang.
    A teal and cream tile floor by French architect India Mahdavi lines the long interior, stretching through a series of arches that organise the space.
    The seating booths next to the entrance are decorated with brightly coloured accentsNext to the storefront window, seating booths are formed by two recessed arches painted with purple accents whilst additional arches on either side of the counter contain shelving.
    The booths are covered in a floral pattern by Hella Jongerius, while a patterned wallpaper coats the ceiling in the back of the restaurant.
    The colour scheme is carried into the seating area at the back of the restaurantAs Nabila’s welcomes guests, the studio envisions this back section with warm light, rich colours will host many lively neighbourhood meals.
    Other Lebanese restaurants featured on Dezeen include Studio Roslyn’s restaurant based on bad food photography in Victoria, Canada and a Lebanese snack bar by architect David Dworkind featuring an array of ash-wood furniture.
    The photography is by Gieves Anderson.

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