Butter than before!

Studio 926 crafts a visual narrative for Amul Foodland, a multi-cuisine restaurant for one of India’s most iconic brands, using textural materiality and a volumetric approach.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Sudhir Parmar; courtesy Studio 926

Architects Shailesh Patel and Ronak Patel

The site

The project, a contemporary multi-cuisine restaurant for Amul Foodland, had to be designed by refurbishing an existing shell in Anand, the iconic dairy cooperative society’s hometown. The linear structure was blessed with views of lush greenery through rows of windows on the longer sides.

The brief

The client sought an entity that would be geared to modern tastes, but also one that would be informed by the 75-year-old brand’s history and values.

The design intent

The idea was to create the space that was contemporary yet infused with traditional sensibilities. Rather than resort to cosmetic overlays, the concept was articulated using materiality that had inherent beauty of texture and colour. This strategy would create different experiences which would then be crowned by delectable food.

This seating arrangement along the windows features semi-enclosed tables. It is further highlighted by a small wooden split level in the floor.

The spatial configuration

The linear programme is designed parallel to the glazed, garden-facing windows in order to leverage views and natural light. The 2,425-square-foot area is apportioned into two parts, one devoted to the kitchen and the second to the dining. The latter is again subdivided into an entrance bay and a fixed seating bay. A yellow frosted glass door marks the entrance, surrounded by clear transparency between the entrance bay and the seating bay rendered through glass panelled wooden French design frames. The design of the restaurant proper considers different dining occasions by establishing separate dining environments throughout the restaurant. The open-plan concept features two linear passages dividing three seating areas. Out of these, the central one is expressed as a series of compartments with their own roof — creating intimate and personalised spatial parcels within the overall narrative. This island is flanked by two rows of ‘open’ seating — one placed on a wooden split level — arranged along windows that overlook lush greens.

A predominantly dark canvas is injected with cheerful yellow, brown and beige tones. The volume-in-volume strategy is clearly evident here, articulated as a series of compartments in the centre.

The material palette

The design features rustic, industrial design elements that complement the contemporary vibe of the eatery as well as create a narrative replete with textural play. The compartmental sitting features an MS grid ‘ceiling’, with terracotta plates placed alternatively in the modules — creating nested volumes. Space modulation is achieved using satin black-painted corrugated cement sheets and acid-rusted MS sheets — the latter perforated with delicate patterns for a more Indianised and stylised look. Their grainy texture is echoed by the roughly finished Kaddapa stone flooring. Exposed brickwork in the backdrop and industrial ceilings enhance the raw beauty of the well-proportioned space. Bespoke tables are rendered from laminated wood (for tops) and matt black metal (for legs). Circular pendant lights set above the dining area are hung on matt black anodised cable trays with perforated panels.

Dark grey vaults swoop overhead. From this exposed services are suspended from perforated metal troughs.

The chromatic direction

The shell is rendered mostly in sombre shades: a dark grey roof and black rough flooring. Within this, demure hues of brown and beige (woven through furniture and partitions) are interspersed with pops of red (table linen) and yellow (walls).