Miss Lee: old Hong Kong inspires the interiors of modern Chinese vegetarian restaurant
Designed by JJ Acuna / Bespoke Studio, heritage touches, soft curves and exquisite lighting give the eatery its warm, inviting atmosphere
Interpretation
“Like the food, there’s a Cantonese baseline in the decor but it’s just a jumping off point. You see that in the Star Ferry green that we use, especially on the metal canopy over the bar. It’s a heritage touch that strikes an emotional chord in people here. Instead of powder coating, we’ve hand-painted it for that authentic thick, globby quality that is so familiar to us.
“I wanted to create a nostalgic kiss to the romance and history of Victorian Hong Kong but avoid that Disneyfication that you sometimes see. The opening hours mean it’s basically a bistro and so it needed to be more cosmopolitan. We have clean lines and soft curves and everything has been kept light and bright.
“I used oak and birch with brass inlay for the tables and woodwork and, for the floors, three kinds of light beige marble. Some of the vintage elements are actually brand-new works from very modern European designers, like the grainy and inconsistent rust-coloured wall, which is made with pressure-treated volcanic ash tiles.”
Challenges
“When the restaurant’s facade was installed, Elizabeth [Chu Yuet-han, of ZS Hospitality Group] felt that the oxidised metal finish we had decided on was too serious and industrial-looking so about three weeks before our soft opening, we decided to paint it the same Star Ferry green as the bar canopy.
