hospitalitystyle.com

(Winter 2010) posted on Mon Mar 28, 2011 EDT

Henry Chebaane, Antonio Di Oronzo and Gwenael Nicolas share their vision of what will be trendy, what will be tired and what should be tried for 2011.

By Mary Scoviak

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THE TREND

Chebaane: Authenticity. Customers are moving away from generic Italian or French in favor of regional food and drinks with specific backgrounds and stories. “This translates into expectations for a well-researched and developed design narrative with authentic elements, albeit re-actualized.” 

Di Oronzo: More flexibility. “Clients have been asking us to design restaurants with DJ booths and versatile lighting schemes and environments.”

Nicolas: Curiosity, with a dose of the familiar. “The guest wants to be surprised, but at the same time feel a sense of attachment.” As the recession eases, consumers may be ready to try something new. “We’ll see more people eating in the kitchens, surrounded by the chef and his or her brigade. They won’t have to look at a menu.”

THE LOOK

Chebaane: Vintage to techie. “Concerns about unchecked globalization and technology have people yearning for original brands, places and products from ‘bygone times, better times.’ That’s driving the need for vintage design elements and recognizable visual codes. Tech toys like interactive tables are an exception, as is the technology creating new materials and surfaces.”

Di Oronzo: Warm, soft, layered, sexy. “I like the contrast of warm, natural materials such as wood with reflective materials like metals.” The current passion for organic modernism is here to stay—for a number of years. “I see the predilection for booths and an increasing passion for communal tables.”

Nicolas: Star-quality design elements. “The lightness, thinness and transparency of new materials make so many things possible.” Expect more collaborations with vendors to create unique statements. “Last year, I designed a 39-ft.-long chandelier for the Swarovski Crystal Palace exhibit. The technology did not exist when I designed it, but new systems from Philips and Color Kinetics enabled us to realize the project. It is important to design beyond what exists and help develop new products. Otherwise design is just flipping through a catalog.”

THE MUSTS

Chebaane: Lighting applications that merge multimedia art, information, entertainment, operational optimization and mood enhancement. “For example, in one of our latest restaurant projects we designed a staircase that acts as a virtual clock. From 6 p.m., on the hour, a billowing fog rises from a glowing bed of white pebbles under the stairs, while a cascade of liquid gold magma is projected onto the steps in a downward fluid movement via a 3D mapping system that we developed ourselves.”

Di Oronzo: LEDs and technology. LED fixtures’ wide chromatic spectrum offers “infinite opportunities” for customization with ad-hoc software. Digital fabrication will expand the creative opportunities as well. “Technology is the single most important reason behind the current flourishing of design talent.”

Nicolas: Lighting and art. “Personally, I design with light more than anything. New lighting technology frees designers from the usual floor plan, ceiling, wall layout.” Seating can evolve into more hybrid configurations, as can the height and proportions of chairs and tables.  

THE MISTAKE

Chebaane: Poorly planned display kitchens. “They’re often awkward and end up showing the shortcomings of the restaurant concept rather than enhancing it.” 

Di Oronzo: Overspending. “Every trend starts from the bottom line.”

Nicolas: Disconnection. “There is still transparency missing between the producer of the food and the customer. I think in the future the two will come much closer together. We will eat in the marketplace or the market will come into the restaurant—like eating fish in Tsukiji [Tokyo’s fish market] in the morning or eating meat near the meat market in New York.”