Inspiration through material
19 Town restaurant, Jialun Xiong, Los Angeles, USA, 2023 • © courtesy of Jialun Xiong
In 2023, the restaurant 19 Town will open in Downtown Los Angeles. The restaurant, which specialises in Chinese fusion cuisine, entrusted the décor to designer Jialun Xiong, who created a restaurant with a retro-futuristic atmosphere. This identity is reflected in many of the Los Angeles-based designer’s projects, experimenting with both space and furniture. “Studio/JIALUN XIONG explores the ideas of duality and creative restriction in the design of spaces, furniture, lighting and objects. Graphic, dramatic and thoroughly intentional, Xiong’s objects push the boundaries of their construction, balancing positive and negative space to enhance the experience of their users. Oscillating between weightlessness and heaviness, Xiong’s forms inspire quiet contemplation and gentle concentration that keeps us firmly anchored in the present,” explains his team. These notions and concepts are reflected in the restaurant 19 Town by an approach that combines full and empty spaces across its 390 m2 surface area, comprising the main dining room, a lounge bar and three rooms reserved for private dining, each with its own distinct identity.
To create this retro-futuristic world, designer Jialun Xiong relied on one principle: favouring matter over form. The architectural features and built-in furniture, like the reception desk, are characterised by the simplicity of their sober contours. The identity and detail are found in the materials used. There is an emphasis on noble materials, from glass and leather to stainless steel and natural wood. The material library also finds its strength in the contrast and neutrality of its colour palette. Light tones are favoured, as in the Venetian plaster and Formica – creating optical illusions with the natural stone, so to speak – only disturbed by a few touches of colour, which remain measured. Although black takes pride of place, as does the brown of the leather, green above all dominates, ubiquitous in the seating, also in leather, as well as in other touches such as the lounge carpet and a lamp by Vibia. The dominance of materials serves the retro-futuristic aesthetic, notably through the presence of stainless steel, contrasting with the natural materials, and the installation of glass block walls.
Most of the furniture is from the Studio/JIALUN XIONG collection. These include the Building Blocks bench and the Folds sofa, once again responding to the notion of simplicity of form versus the material, with metal and leather once again dominating. Other features were created exclusively for 19 Town, such as the Formica reception counter.
While materials are central to this hospitality project, they also serve a broader objective: to create an atmosphere. Conceived as a whole, the restaurant project is subdivided into several sections, each fulfilling a very specific role, for which its décor serves as a showcase. The lounge, with its spaced out, minimalist shapes and colours, is an invitation to relax and meet people, while the restaurant’s communal space has a strong convivial feel, enabled by the openness of the space and the creation of a room where the dining experience can be shared. More intimate areas have been designed through the creation of alcoves, with green, leather and brushed metal as the leitmotiv. Conversely, the private reception rooms are designed with a minimalism taken to the extreme. Uncluttered and furnished only with the pieces needed to share a meal, they tend to encourage a more ceremonial experience, with the design creating much more than just a décor. •
Year: 2023
Address: Los Angeles, USA
Space design: Jialun Xiong
Materials: Glass, leather, steel and wood
Surface: 390 sqm
