Designer James JJ Acuna on creating a space that caters to the millennial market
The creative director of eponymous Hong Kong- and Manila-based studio, talks about the design ingredients behind The Central Sweets dessert hall at The Central, in Yangon, Myanmar
“The client, Marga Group, was working on The Central, a big development in Yangon [Myanmar], with residences, office space, shopping, F&B [food and beverage], and they were looking to run some of the F&B concepts themselves, including a food hall featuring desserts for the millennial market. They gave me a double height, street-side space and asked me to design a food courtselling local and imported desserts.”
Interpretation
“I wanted to create interiors that were fun and youthful, because that’s the target age group. My forms are simple and playful – circular tables, low benches; it’s easy geometry. I designed every piece. In a commercial project, like a food court, you might have a lot of contract furniture, but I wanted it to look like someone had handcrafted each piece.
“I also looked at Yangon’s Victorian architecture – such as the romantic shapes and arches – and that’s why you see a lot of retro aspects, but done in a modern and contemporary way. And I took inspiration from old-fashioned, turn-of-the-century dessert parlours in Europe – the black-and-white marble tiles allude to early 1900s dessert bars, bistros or cafes.”
Challenges
“The client knew they wanted desserts, but they didn’t know much else. They were still formulating a business plan at the same time I was formulating the floor plans and designing the interior. The challenge was helping to clarify the business intention of the project through design.”
Highlight
“I love the chairs, tables and other furniture because they are playful and a contemporary updates of Victorian forms. I also love the colour tones, which are based on ice creams. It looks great in daylight and it’s a pop of colour that’s needed at night.”
Takeaway
“Hopefully people will look at this project and not be afraid to use a more adventurous palette. It doesn’t have to be striking or bold; it could be soft and pastel. You need to think of ways to ground the colour. We added a lot of white and black to give a framework. We used black-and-white stripes on the floor and mirrored those on the ceiling.”
