Designers infuse the rich culture of the region to create a stylised fine dine experience.
West Bengal’s famed Taj Bengal Kolkata reveals its highly-stylized new fine dining restaurant, Cal 27 and further elevates the luxury experience for guests and diners. Studio HBA was tapped to orchestrate a space that infuses the distinctive cultural elements of Kolkata throughout the restaurant, carefully weaving inspirations from the city in each space.
“The city of Kolkata is the soul of east India – a vibrant hub of culture, commercial and academics, Kolkata is known as ‘The City of Joy,’ said Studio HBA Partner Ar. Rahul Shankhwalker. “Having an opportunity to design within India’s cultural capital was a humbling challenge our team was ready to take on. We spent more than a year studying the location, talking to its people and simply absorbing all that this mesmerizing city had to offer in order to create a restaurant space worthy of its location.”
Studio HBA focused on procuring local elements and assembled them in artistic ways to pay homage to the setting. A lively blue and yellow color palette represents Kolkata’s signature taxi cabs while black and white prints display iconic Kolkata elements. The blue and yellow colors appear as velvet and leather covers for the furnishings. Wooden window shutters were inspired by the rolling shutters of Kolkata while table legs took a nod from the four-post beds found in so many of the homes. Old Kolkata Rajbaris served as inspiration for the checkered floors and courtyard concepts and the city’s iconic chai teacups were translated into lamp shades.
Kolkata thrills outsiders who first arrive and then quickly becomes a part of their soul. It’s transformative in that way and always on the move – we created a space that could serve as a culinary hub and yet remain dynamic and modern.
Studio HBA left no space untouched, from the ceiling patterns and frames used to depict the wooden rafters and beams reminiscent of the old colonial buildings to the floors laid with timber, stone and terrazzo tiles in intricate patterns that define the space and its local artistry.
Having experience of more than 15 years Ar. Rahul Shankwalker has worked in Asia some of which have received accolades in national and international publications.
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