Inamo

12 May 2009

An eye-catching interior coupled with technology that means customers no longer need to catch the waiter’s eye give the London restaurant Inamo its unusual character and an identity all of its own, redolent of blade runner.

Key facts

PROJECT: Inamo
DESIGNER: Blacksheep
CLIENT: Compurants
SIZE: 310sq m
COST: Undisclosed
COMPLETION TIME: 13 months

Project description

Inamo is a new oriental restaurant in London’s Soho that uses some very special technology to turn the tables on convention. It’s the idea of entrepreneurs (and now restaurateurs) Danny Potter and Noel Hunwick, who met while they were studying at Oxford.

Above each table, housed in a cocoon of sculptured white plastic, is a projector, which diners can control with a small computer touch-pad. It allows you to change the ‘ambience’ of the table, choosing from a range of oriental-themed designs, like electronic tablecloths. You can order food without the need to catch the eye of a passing waiter (although there are staffs on hand to help and bring your food) and even play games, order taxis, and keep track of your bill while you eat. It evokes the futuristic ‘tech-noir’ of the film Bladerunner.

For designer Blacksheep, it was an ambitious project and a tricky concept to get right. The lighting levels had to be carefully judged for the projectors to create the right ambience. Blacksheep director TimMutton says: 'It was important to balance the restaurant's technological aspects by creating a sensuous, social space with a strong personality.’ To moderate interior light levels, the restaurant windows have a graphic vinyl covering, designed by Blacksheep and featuring solid and translucent star patterns. While limiting natural light to preserve the ambience, the translucent sections allow passers-by to glimpse the tantalizing interior from the street.

The main structural works took place on the ground floor, which is now the main restaurant. This involved removing columns and a structural wall and creating a new extension at the rear of the building to provide more room for tables. A timber-effect vinyl floor from Armstrong Flooring has been used throughout.

Directly inside the entrance is a stairway that leads to a subterranean bar. Finished in matt black, it features the same design language as the restaurant, but uses a warmer, darker colour scheme. Graphic screens replicate those on the ground floor, and bronze mirrors with a glowing red backing create a sense of space.
In the main restaurant, white wallcoverings are juxtaposed with mirrored graphic panels. There are silver vinyl banquettes with red stitching and two-tone flip-chairs with black backs and white frontage, made by Protocol. The tabletops are in Corian from DuPont. Huntwick says: ‘Corian offered the ideal blank canvas for the projections, while also being very attractive as a standalone surface without the graphics switched on.What’s more, we needed something hygienic that was robust enough to keep looking good over time.’ The Corian surface also works well with the touch-pad technology, as it’s free from static interference. ‘Getting the right finish that changed with the projections exactly as we needed it to was very important. Initially, we did look at other materials, including marble and laminates, but none of them worked as well as Corian,’ saysMutton.

While the interactive tables steal the show here, the interior is carefully balanced with the technological element and neither overpowers nor underwhelms its design.