Reflective strands give the appearance of dining under a noodle rack in this Chinese noodle restaurant

September 16, 2015

The Noodle Rack by Lukstudio

 

Lukstudio have designed a restaurant in Changsha, China, that was inspired by traditional noodle making.

 

The Noodle Rack by Lukstudio

The designer’s description

Noodle soup is a common street food all over China. While most of these noodle joints spend tremendous effort to win customers with taste, some are adding attractive store design into their branding recipe.

The Noodle Rack by Lukstudio

A good example is LongXiaoBao, a newcomer who sets foot in Changsha with an ambition to spread the local ShaoYang style rice noodle to the rest of China.

The Noodle Rack by Lukstudio

Commissioned to conceive a contemporary identity for their first restaurant, Lukstudio integrates the tradition of noodle making in the spatial design by reinterpreting a noodle rack.

The Noodle Rack by Lukstudio

Nestled along an outdoor shopping promenade nearby the Xiangjiang River, the 50-sqm noodle joint exudes a calm yet mysterious presence with its bamboo-cast concrete storefront. Two rustic steel boxes penetrate through the solemn exterior: the taller one is clad with rusted steel panels, and its shorter neighbor is built like a metal scaffold.

The Noodle Rack by Lukstudio

Walking past the entry box, a customer is greeted by a composed counter design lined with the bamboo mold used for casting the exteriors. As one proceeds towards the halo surrounding the grid structure, the interior layers start revealing themselves.

The Noodle Rack by Lukstudio

Firstly, the original wall is stripped down to its structural blocks to resonate with the rustic metal grid.Secondly, wooden boxes are carefully placed within the rack to showcase selected porcelains.

The Noodle Rack by Lukstudio

Finally, a series of metal wires are draped across the dining room to create the lighting feature with hanging bulbs. Balancing the rustic interiors, these reflective strands create a poetic notion of dining under a noodle rack.

The Noodle Rack by Lukstudio

Playing with the duality between rustic and refined, eastern tradition and western representation, Lukstudio introduces a crossover between fast food chain and upscale diner.

The Noodle Rack by Lukstudio

The Noodle Rack differentiates itself from the stigma of kitsch fast food “hole in the wall” on every street of China. It demonstrates how Chinese eateries have the potentials to be reborn into hip gathering spots comparable to the new trend of cafés.

The Noodle Rack by Lukstudio

Photography by Peter Dixie for LOTAN Architectural Photography