The inspiration for the design of Single Thread was derived from husband and wife team and owners, Kyle and Katina Connaughton, and their love for Japanese artisanship and hospitality. The design goes beyond that of just a restaurant; rather, it functions as an extension of the couple’s home and studio, drawing its ideals from the ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn offering food and lodging. Dining at Single Thread, therefore, is akin to spending an evening with Kyle and Katina in their personal home and workshop.
The kitchen and dining rooms are seamlessly integrated, welcoming diners to both observe the artistic culinary processes and enjoy the end product, while a custom-made sommelier station, designed to hold the exact number of bottles needed in a service, sits in the middle of the dining area and provides a showcase area for the sommelier to work and be seen. These features blur the lines between artisan and diner, inviting guests into a deeper, more immersive hospitality experience. Elements of the ‘studio’ are found throughout the dining room: silverware is stored in one of nine hand-numbered drawers that label which course it is used for; ceramic vessels found in various storage units appear to be decorative until the Chef fetches them for a specific course during the night; a glass terrarium serves as both a beautiful visual and a workspace for Katina to build nightly flower displays.
Given the couple’s expertise in gardening and molecular gastronomy, AvroKO looked to the science and mathematics of nature for inspiration. Floating ceiling panels have grids that highlight golden section relationships, as do the kitchen tile patterns, the leather wrapped columns, and the oversized custom wood entry door. Sliding brass and fabric doors that divide the kitchen and dining room have an abstracted Fibonacci proportion that reveals itself in full once the doors are closed. Woven patterns within the twelve dining room screens reference DNA sequencing of monthly seasonal herbs harvested from their farm.
