Sorgam restaurant focuses on a traditional menu and a heavenly ambience

Roaish Architecture + Design use traditional elements and colours to establish a serene ambience in the Chennai eatery. 

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Photographix India | Parth Swaminath; courtesy Roaish Architecture + Design

The site

The rebranded avatar of a well-known eatery, Sorgam (heaven in Tamil) is a 2,600-sq-ft restaurant located in the calm residential area of Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, Chennai. The building itself houses various other eateries and the goal was to make this particular one stand out.

The brief

“The clients wanted to seat 80–100 people, so we had to plan the circulation around the functionality of the space,” informs architect Aishwarya Krish, founder, Roaish Architecture + Design. “The brief was to seat as many people as possible while curating a light and breezy environment.”

The design intent

“The concept of heaven and the sensory reactions we receive when we think of heaven was the main inspiration and goal of the project,” says Aishwarya. Therefore, each element and detail were curated for the purpose of giving the user a space to forget the rest of the world and enjoy a scrumptious meal.

The spatial configuration

The entry has a set of wide steps with plants on either side to bring about grandeur. This leads to a striking orange door which sits against a plain white building facade. This space also functions as a waiting area. The main door ushers you into a pastel-toned seating area. Old windows with intricate details and other antique artefacts establish a rustic and homely environment. The further end of the space has a sloping roof with bamboo stems which hide the temporary roofing while also adding to the vibe of the space. 

The material palette

“A pastel palette was chosen to lighten up the space and create an ethereal atmosphere,” discloses the architect. A band of printed tiles runs across the walls in the restaurant up to 3’ height to bring a traditional twist in the atmosphere. Black furniture stands out from the pastel walls, pattern tiles and wooden accents.

The challenges

“The rugged exterior of the building made it difficult for us to bring about a ‘heavenly’ feeling,” reveals Aishwarya. “So we created a free-standing door in the compound wall as a focal element. As the sun sets, this door is lit up to metaphorically depict it to be the gates to heaven.” 

The highlights

Arches were used as an element to soften and provide a transition in the space, as well as give a break from the clean lines and defined edges. Green banana leaves embellish the centre of the seating area to depict the traditional South Indian practice of eating on plantain leaves. 

The takeaway

How to intervene minimally in an existing site to create an entirely different image and environment was the lesson Aishwarya learnt in this project. “(We did this) by selecting the right material and colour palette,” she says, adding that the main door is a personal favourite. “Its design takes inspiration from the traditional wooden panelled door which is simplified to give a modern twist to it, spelling out . ‘Sorgam’ in brass. “The door welcomes one to a heavenly pastel-toned arcade,” she smiles. 

Fact file

Project: Sorgam
Location: Chennai
Area: 2,600 sq ft
Principal architect: Aishwarya Krish
Design team: Mahalakshmi S, Sowmya B and Varsha A