Lunar is a Fine Dining Experience Inspired by the Moon

Designed by Sò Studio, modern Chinese restaurant Lunar — led by celebrated chef Johnston Teo — is inspired by classic Chinese gardens and reflects the curves and arcs of the restaurant’s namesake. Here studio founders Yifan Wu and Mengjie Liu share more about the project

Design Anthology: How did you first meet the client?

Yifan Wu: We first met the client through a mutual friend. They were impressed by our design of Oxalis, another restaurant in Shanghai, so they contacted us through this friend and commissioned us to design their new Chinese fine dining restaurant.

What was their brief to you for the project?

Mengjie Liu: When we design, we always want to create a sense of tranquillity and comfort, and they wanted this here. The interior design was to focus not only on the details of traditional Chinese structures, but also to pay attention to beauty as a concept, and to create an ambience that combines scale, geometry and traditional Chinese design characteristics.

What is the overall size of the space?

Mengjie Liu: Lunar is in a two-floor standalone villa on West Jianguo Road; the overall size of the space is 260 square meters. 

What’s great about the neighbourhood and what makes the location unique?

 Yifan Wu: West Jianguo Road is in the heart of the city. This neighbourhood is really representative of Shanghai, and Lunar is like a shelter where people can find a comfortable, peaceful space in contrast to the busy urban life on the street.

How did you approach the project — what design references/narrative did you try to incorporate into the space?

Yifan Wu: When we were designing the space, we wanted to convey a sense of calm and comfort. So, we decided to reference the language of traditional gardens like those found in Jiangnan. The hanging cornice of the dining area is a combination of the classic curves of these Jiangnan gardens with the architectural structure of the space. We also applied details such as stepping stones to connect the dining area and private dining area, landscape stone in the dining island, and the pebble-paved trail to the second floor.

Please tell us a little about the material choices for the space. 

Mengjie Liu: The most important material in the space is the matte surfaces of the stone and timber; they convey calm and beauty through their texture.

Please tell us about some of the custom pieces for the space.

Mengjie Liu: We integrated Sesame Black Granite, used in traditional Chinese landscape design, in the furniture design. The stone is so heavy that the stonemason had to make it hollow in order to prevent the furniture breaking under its weight

Do you have a favourite element or design detail in the architecture or interiors?

Yifan Wu: The hand-painted mural is our favourite element; it’s orange glow is like moonlight over the second floor dining area.

What other features are you most excited about?

Yifan Wu: The other feature we are quite excited about is the wall that we designed in the ground-floor tea stall, made entirely of tea bricks. This was inspired by Chef Teo: during one of our conversations, he mentioned that there will be tea pairings with meals, so we installed this tea brick wall to stimulate customers’ visual and olfactory sensations and emphasise the tea concept.

Images / Wen Studio