MOTT 32 BY JOYCE WANG WINS INSIDE FESTIVAL 2014

A restaurant rich with history takes the title of World Interior of the Year

Hong Kong restaurant Mott 32 won World Interior of the Year at the annual Inside Festival, which concluded on October 3rd in Singapore. Designed by Joyce Wang, the restaurant occupies the basement of an important bank building in Hong Kong.

The basement has a rich history, once serving as a storage facility for the heirlooms of wealthy Chinese families and then as staff quarters for the bank employees and guards. To preserve and highlight this heritage, the restaurant narrative reads as a peeling back of history. A collection of heirlooms, Colonial-style furnishings and vintage Chinese propaganda ornament the blend of Western industrial and traditional Chinese decoration.

Due to the restaurant’s location in a basement, lack of natural light was a major problem. The designer used artificial lighting and skylights to create a specific ambiance for lunchtime and for dinnertime. The designer also turned the maze-like basement access into an asset, making it seem elite and secretive.

Mott 32 beat out eight other category winners that can be viewed here and here. And check out last year’s winner, a tessellated Barcelona renovation by David Kohn Architects.