New cladding, partitions, lighting and landscaping transform a former porte cochere into an inviting, accessible pedestrian entry. 

New plum trees buffer the sounds and sights of the busy highway.  

Siding detail. The variable height, color, and lighting create a rich variety of rhythms and textures. 

Cedar screen detail. The angled shadows complete the diagonal figures. 

The nested red and black soffit alludes to traditional Chinese paper folding crafts and lacquerware color schemes. 

The soffit entry's dynamic forms appear radically different depending on your approach. Here, the two triangular partitions appear balanced.

Inspired by Chinese paper folding crafts, angular folding geometries merge wall, ceiling, and furniture and announce a new entry threshold.  

Custom designed banquette provides additional storage, which structurally stabilizes the lighter seating element. Consistent with the folding motif, the floor tiling wraps along the wall to spatialize surfaces 

Angular shelving in elevation and plan also create angular shadows 

Angular shelving and backsplashes of the wait station wrap the corner to form a host stand. 

A new field of lights, alluding to Chinese spherical paper lanterns, unifies the central dining space and allows for the free placement of tables and chairs. 

The exploded chandelier conforms to a doubly curved surface. The silver and bronze lanterns create different patterns (single colored/alternating colored). 

Multiple alignments and patterns emerge from the implied assymetrically curved surface 

Custom designed booths reduce the perception of its bulk 

The high relief and black stain of the booth edges create shadow effects to further reduce the booth's bulk 

The different wood stains differentiate the frames from afar; the maple and oak wood grains differentiate the frames upclose 

Custom designed trellis references traditional Chinese screens with a pixelated, contemporary expression 

The trellis depth creates patterns of light and shadow to emerge 

Merging sculpture and painting, dynamic compositions of shadows and colors change when walking by 

Inspired by Chinese garden screens and the drawings of Connecticut artist Sol Lewitt, traditional representational elements like a horizon line and foreshortening allude to the former windows along this wall. 

"Pre-existing Condition" 

"Pre-existing Condition" 

"Pre-existing Condition"