Did You Know That…

The main characters of “Selection” – a modern and exquisite gastronomic play – are fish and meat? The main plot puts a spotlight on these two in a unique chef’s interpretation (Ayk Weishtort), exploring the subject in an unconventional way. Sundukovy Sisters took on the role of set designers, creating minimalistic décor, so that no detail of the action escapes the eyes of a curious observer.

The interior marries two polarities as contrasting as the stars themselves: hot and cold, fiery and water-based, rugged and smooth.

Reflection in Our Design

The heroes were attired in different colors, which prevail in their habitat as well: “gold” for fish and “silver” metal grey for meat. Two massive architectural structures above the central bar area highlight this visual duality and add a theatrical flair to the interior, appearing as a stage decor.

The concept clashes cold, angular, rugged brutality and warm, cozy, matted, enveloping patrons in a  truly unique atmosphere. Reflective carbon countertops with glossy varnish – a completely new solution for Moscow interiors – meet dark surfaces of charred wood, stainless polished and liquid metal on columns, creating a balanced contrast of styles and attitudes.

Angular geometry, dictated by the layout itself, is mellowed out by cushioned furniture, tables made of warm natural eucalyptus root veneer and natural sand-colored limestone, referencing antique theatre motifs as well.

Key Points for Success

The task was to find a balance between a minimalist, hi-tech interior and patrons’ comfort, while keeping the emphasis on two key menu players and the cooking techniques.

The floor plan was rotated 45 degrees from the main axis of the building. Such spatial geometry brought in a new perspective on furniture and special cooking equipment – the focus of the interior. Not one but three show kitchens were thought through – two for meat and one for fish. From an open, spacious dining area with very few secluded seats, spectators can easily observe the drama occurring in an open fish-filleting zone, on the grills, in the josper, the wood stove and the oven.

A separate meat-maturing laboratory with a standalone chef’s table is observed from a window. For those seeking more privacy as well as an individual interactive performance, a VIP zone is placed in the lab, closed off with smart glass. Another hidden VIP space is closed off completely, invisible from the main dining area.

Intelligent stage lighting considers cooking techniques, when projecting a beneficial light spectrum on each player – whiter for the fish and redder for the meat. Reflective surfaces scatter the light in the surrounding space, absorbing viewers even more and making hours spent in Selection fly by unnoticed.

The main task in this project was to create comfortable lighting for interior and to represent food correctly. The restaurant’s cuisine is based on two products - meat and fish. At the beginning this restaurant was planned as «restaurant-market», where you can find a counter with meat and fish to choose for cooking. It was necessary to arrange lighting accents on food and it’s cooking, to plan lighting for different types of food as fish and meat, not to spoil minimalistic interior design.
For lighting counter was chosen equipment with special color rending suitable for fish and meat.
Tables are very important places where visitors spend their time. It was decided to abandon the idea of placing individual table lamps on tables, because it’s easy to break or spoil luminaries. Lighting of tables was realized with the help of rotating luminaries with narrow lighting angles arranged on the ceiling. This optic was chosen considering such parameters as ceiling height and table size. Thanks to this decision the tables are illuminated exactly to their size, and the light beam does not spread beyond it.
Also, there was a task for lighting bar counter and stella lighting in restaurant. There was not possibility to fix luminaries on the ceiling because of architectural features (glass roof). The decision was to place them on the sill. There were chosen projectors with narrow optic to distinguish stella. Oval optic was used for bar counter lighting to make comfortable and functional conditions for barman’s work and to represent this zone spectacularly.
There were also used decorative techniques in the lighting project of the restaurant Selection. For lighting of glass «ice» wall of plastic was chosen ledstrip, creating effect of ice glow. In lower part of backs of sofas made of special glass with pattern imitating soot were placed ledstrips with effect of «running fire». These strips were specially programmed in order to imitate fire in a hearth with embers.