Young Designer Makes Splash with Muted Buffet Restaurant

A buffet restaurant styled by a Korean designer has been included in a book titled "Cool Restaurants Top of the World" by the popular German art book publisher teNeues. Namus Boutique Restaurant in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province opened last year and designed by Kim Chi-ho of Chiho & Partners.

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"I wanted to get rid of the busy and bustling market feel that you get in almost all buffet restaurants", Kim said. "I focused on one theme in order to prove that a buffet restaurant can be elegant and luxurious". Kim studied in Italy and is building up reputation through major projects in both commercial and residential spaces.

He says he cannot stand boredom. His appearance reflects this personality with spiky silver hair and a well-groomed beard. But he repressed his "natural desire for unconventional design as much as possible" while working on Namus. "There are so many visual elements in a buffet restaurant already, so I thought the key is to minimize ornate elements in the design as much as possible. Usually I'm only satisfied if I make something dramatic".

But Namus was all about toning things down. In order to reduce the busy impact of all the dishes on display in a buffet restaurant, he used brown and walnut-colored wood and stone to give the space a discrete look. Keeping the lighting low was a particular concern. Lighting plays a big role in designing the flow of human movement, Kim says, and rather than use big lamps he installed small indirect lights under the space where food is laid out to direct the flow of movement more naturally.

"In all major cities like Bangkok and Shanghai there are restaurants or bars that are a must-see for design-conscious visitors. My dream is to create more commercial spaces that are not to be missed in Korea", he says.