founded in 1643, maison trudon is the oldest candle manufacturer. maison trudon extends its savoir faire and unveils a line of personal fragrance. substance accompanied the brand with its communication strategy, global branding, packaging, print and digital design. our challenge was to subtly express the rich brand heritage whilst reinterpreting a modern approach.
in the up and coming district of poho, a charming new château has set down roots. more than just a concept, château zoobeetle encapsulates the very essence of being french and carries it off with just the right touch of parisian insouciance.
we were given a split level store space of 1500 sq. ft. to dream up the effortless elegance of a modern apartment on the left bank, upstairs from a hip new brasserie. the architecture epitomises zoobeetle’s multi sensory brand experience; fixtures throughout the space accentuate the house founders’ handpicked vintage decor. the effect is one of a contemporary atelier, with a facade inspired by the old world elegance of parisian couturiers.
the origin of zoobeetle is the quintessential parisian experience expressed through a line of culturally crafted leather goods, woven by the founders with strands of the house dna including travel, art and photography.
downstairs, the bar’s lighting and shingled tiles convey you to the rooftops of paris. racks behind the bar echo the atelier’s polished fixtures, harmonising with the gleaming brass countertop. sate your tastebuds with a delectable selection of cheeses and charcuterie, while indulging in a sip of sauvignon.
the scene is set: circa 1940, somewhere along the mid-west, a group of circus performers are on their way to the next gig on their national grand tour and boy, do they have an appetite. an appetite for magic, milkshakes and more, that is. cue burger circus.
burger circus is a whimsical take on the classic mid-century americana diner. the space, inspired by edward hopper’s painting « compartment c, car 293 », encompasses train carriage accents like the curved stainless steel wall panels and warm tones casted by vintage lamps. the circus narrative in the branding content was derived from francis lawrence’s water for elephants and is pushed throughout the menus and circus posters, which vividly display the different characters’ quirks and talents. situated at the foot of soho, customers take a ride ( almost literally, as they dine in carriage booths ) to a nostalgic time filled with retro vibes and feel good food.
An elegant building stands on Hollywood Road amongst antique shops and art galleries. Discreetly opulent touches suggest this may be a smart regional office for a prosperous business. Yet inside the building, people gather to enjoy fine French cuisine in a setting filled with important and exciting works of modern and street art.
Substance were challenged to create a restaurant where modern street art, classic French gastronomy, and the space which contained the two could work together in harmony. The inspiration came in the form of 1930’s Art Deco – a design aesthetic modern enough to serve as a backdrop to constantly changing and extremely eclectic artistic expression, but also elegant and comfortable enough as a spatial environment in which to serve classic French gastronomy. The connection between the decade, art works, and cuisine was made through a craftily invented story of an abandoned office building of a formerly prosperous French tram company, now occupied by street artists who express themselves by layering their art on surfaces with a history, tagging their ideas on the physical space that has since become ‘Bibo’.
the krug room is one of the world’s finest culinary experiences but also one of the hardest place to find…established in 2006 in a partnership between mandarin oriental, hong kong and krug champagne. the renovation was to celebrate the hotel’s 50th anniversary.
nestled in the heart of the mandarin oriental hotel kitchen, the volume of the room and its location were a perfect starting point to create the intimate surroundings of a train carriage, boasting stunning views of a fast-moving kitchen. the result is that of contemporary old-world elegance.
after the success of madam sixty ate, a european restaurant founded by a whimsical chef of great imagination, we were appointed to brand a second restaurant with spanish influences in the hub of hong kong’s vibrant culinary scene.
madam’s story centered on her strange journeys and encounters with surreal animals, so it seemed natural to provide her with a quirky companion who could share her discoveries. sal curioso is madam’s spanish ex-lover, an eccentric inventor and an uncommon genius. he meticulously designs and builds contraptions specifically to best broil, steam or pop the strangely shaped animals from madam’s travels into a delicious dish. his inventions include the duck bobber, caulitail steamer, guacaloco and squid pop, all displayed throughout the 2,000 square foot space. it is madam’s dishes, featuring among others, joseph the flower-headed duck and pedro the fish with a cauliflower tail, that inspire each invention.
each device is accompanied by sal’s personal annotations of his design, construction process and his creative scrawls of his registered trademarks. the collection of schematic drawings and documents fill the food menus as patents, the interior is his studio occupied by his machines, hung with business card as licensing labels for copyrights. even the coasters on tables are not immune from sal’s touch – they are designed to draw water condensation from cocktails, a piping system that transports the liquid when coasters are placed together to connect the pipes.
a great thinker, sal is a prolific writer who displays his wall of books written and illustrated himself, displaying a fascination for innovative cooking techniques and antiquated culinary history.
the ocean, protean and primeval, has enchanted many who have come before. along the coast of repulse bay beach, an oceanic sanctum has been imagined as a place of marvels, where one can experience beyond the surface of the sea and into the alluring depths of the unknown.
the restaurant’s interior invites you through a pool of dark blues and cyan, balanced with sandy brown finishes throughout. ceiling-to-floor windows offer a clear panoramic view of the sea-side on the horizon, diving into the deep through the portal frames flourished with silver leafs.
there is an emphasis on intimacy, as the ocean houses three private dining rooms for an added lap of luxury. magic is added with a backdrop of the ocean itself, while the walls of a jellyfish aquarium surrounding each private dining room, submerging each visitor into a pool of conversation as they observe the mystique of nature around them.
but the devil truly is in the details, with tableware and furnishings taking design cues from coral leafs, anemone spirals and fibonacci suites in shells – each designed to reflect the undersea organic geometry lives.
