The Japanese salaryman inspires a restaurant in Hong Kong: what’s the story?
Ben McCarthy, the founder of Hong Kong-based design firm Charlie & Rose, talks about weaving a narrative through the quirky, retro-futuristic interiors of Sheung Wan restaurant Honjo
The Interpretation
“The brief was for a high-end Japanese-restaurant experience. We did a lot of work with the client on what that meant – whether they wanted a traditional, minimal Japanese restaurant or if we could look in other directions, which for us meant trying to tell a story.
“It’s a series of rooms, and this allows us to provide people with a different experience every time they come. We tried to make it all really tactile with lots of details and things to discover. You might not notice it all the first time you are here, but hopefully you will the second or third time.”
The Challenges
“We were trying to create a futuristic English manor in an ordinary Hong Kong building. It’s old and I just wanted to block it out, which is not something I would typically do, but in this instance, it didn’t add any value to the design. We put screens in front of the old windows, for example, so we were able to maximise light, but keep the design quite internal.”
The Highlights
“The bar is my favourite part. We were trying to do something a little different to how a bar works. It feels more residential. We don’t have the typical barman standing behind a bar at one side of the room. Here, everyone is mingling around a central bar, there’s a counter to one side and you are forced to talk to people you don’t know and bartenders are squeezing through and it’s a fun, interactive experience.”
The Takeaway
“There’s no reason any of the elements in Honjo couldn’t have their place in a cool apartment. I would choose the table from the semi-private room. We use a veneer, which is a little daggy but it’s used in a fun way – it resembles the dashboard of an old Jaguar. I like the lights, too. We custom made all the furniture and lighting; it’s something we try to do for all our projects to give them more layers.”
