Kien Bui - Portfolio

KIÊNBÙI

SELECTED WORKS 2013-2022

CONTENTS

Cicchetti

Jumbo

Unilever Network

The Food School

Lub d Siam

Wyndham Phu Quoc

Rosewood Ningbo

Blush Hoi An

Apartment B3

Apartment HH

Cicchetti

The concept is to immidiately impress diners when they first step inside the restaurant by using big, bold elements: high ceiling with overscale pendants, large marble slabs and vibrant colourful scheme.

While sit and dine, guests can observe the chefs movement and listen to the sound of cooking from the ‘open kitchen’. The display of food ingredients, cooking materials and equipments all around the restaurant remind diners of the original Venetian dining atmosphere. Subtle details in furniture and lighting design add another layer of luxury to the whole space. The outdoor dining area offers guests a lively and dynamic experience of Bangkok metropolitan’s life.

Jumbo

Jumbo is a Thai restaurant in Brisbane Australia located inside an old building of Embassy Hotel on Edward street. Traditional Thai rural architecture and fabric pattern are main inspiration for the whole space. The concept is to use very simple materials in a modern way to fill up each area to create great impact for guests.

Open-kitchen walls and bar top are all clothed in vibrant tiles, whereas the whole corridor leading to dining area is cladded in wood with rattan texture in between. Wooden slats with accent yellow colour painted in the background finishes the dining area. The ceiling in this area is opened up, showing old wooden roof structure of the building. This helps create an interesting ambient that signal the feeling of traditional house in rural Thailand (something that modern metropolitan citizen tend to forget because they don't see it so often). Different sizes of hand-painted tiles of rural animal that familiar with Thai farmers such as: chicken or pig are display along a ledge that runs around the dining area. This painted-tile is also used on customized table top and along the wall of open-kitchen bar to create interesting visual effect for guests.

Unilever Network

Aviance is the hi-end cosmetic brand of Unilever Network. The space is located at Unilever Head office in Bangkok. The client's brief is simply to create the display that reflect the image of the brand which is "timeless elegance".

We approach the concept of space with oval forms, and sequence of product display based on the client requirements. The inner glow of light blue color from the brand were used through out. Custom decorative chandeliers reflect the shape of Unilever Network logo.

LOCATION RAMA 9, BANGKOK | THAILAND

CLIENT UNILEVER NETWORK THAILAND AREA 500 SQUARE METERS

PHOTO WISON TUNGTHUNYA & W WORKSPACE

The Food School

The program is to create a professional institution for chef communitya place that could promote and enhance individuality, at the same time breaks all the boundaries.

Our emphasis is to bring people closer to each other. Space is open up with less walls so that people feel like they walk into a giant dining room. The lines between cooking, learning, eating and socializing are all merged into one.

Interior architecture shaped by clean & simple geometry. Materials palette is the clear example of how we fused together a communal space. The combination of Wood, Steel, Concrete and Tiles brings out a touch of craft. The placement of wood structure detail symbolizes the evolution of knowledge (in pedagogy) and transformation of ingredient (in culinary) - from the chopping block to the table top, from the big long bench to the classroom door.

Lub d Siam

How to renovate a 10-year-old hostel in the most busy and crowded area of Bangkok with construction budget of only 300USD/sqm? That is a conundrum at the beginning of this project.

Located right next to the National Stadium skytrain station, Lub d Siam is a kind of place where back-packers could easily come to put down their bags, spread their legs, sip a beer while enjoying the view of the most busy district in Bangkok. The pandemic forces every hospitality venue to close hence there is no income for a couple of years for this hostel. The client decided to take this closure time as an opportunity to rebrand & refresh the public area of the hostel.

Due to the very limited budget, the idea is to make nice things out of a few mundane local materials: feature wall made of stacking breeze block, curtains made of rice bags glued together, chandelier installation with a bunch of plastic baskets, random-textured cork finish walls, concrete block stacking to divide co-working space & lobby lounge.

LOCATION LUB D HOSTEL SIAM - BANGKOK | THAILAND

Wyndham Phu Quoc (the villas)

CLIENT NAM GROUP

AREA 252 SQUARE METERS (3BR VILLA)

STATUS BUILT | 2019 PUBLICATION DEZEEN

The project is located in the south of the largest island in Vietnam. The seafront is nearby but not visible from this location, due to this the idea is to create an enclosed architecture surrounded by tropical plants inspired from the traditional Vietnamese courtyard house.

Living/Dining/kitchen area are connected to become one big common space. In these areas, indoor and outdoor is merged together without any separation. Guess sitting here can enjoy the view of the center pool with green creeper plants backdrop of the surrounding walls. The hanging plants, which act as another screen to protect the bedrooms from direct sunlight also bring a relax feeling to the entire villa.

Interior furniture and finishings in the whole project are made from local materials such as: Melaleuca wood, rattan, bamboo blinds, granite stone. Artwork and accessories inspired from Phu Quoc culture and lifestyle give the space a delicate touch of locality.

LOCATION DUONG TO, PHU QUOC - KIEN GIANG | VIETNAM

Rosewood Ningbo (rooftop Bar & Restaurant)

The old Shanghai comes as an inspiration for the design of the rooftop Bar & Restaurant at Rosewood Ningbo. Researches on the architectural elements from the old quarters of Shanghai are interpreted & developed into design features for each area of the space.

Entry corridor features pattern of wood panels offset from fabric finishedwall with backlit lighting. Rough stone cut into small pieces reminds guests of the pavement stone by the old street of Shanghai. Once turn right to the All day dining restaurant, guests are welcome by subtle pastel blue molding walls of the host area. Step inside, space is brighten up with pizza bar front and center, gabled-leather roof accent above. Each dining zone is made cozy by series of solid wood partitions. Custom brass chandelier, custom-cut tiles for floors and walls brings out a touch of delicacy to the whole space. The bar&lounge on the opposite side is quite dark and moody by the use of dark solid wood partition. Cigar lounge & piano lounge are highlighted by the custom-made artwork on the walls inspired by chinese motif of animals, plants & flowers (these are symbols of luck according to traditionalchinese culture).

Outdoor dining area defined by the wood pavilion that holds random plants installation. Eclectic furnitures with variation in heights offer flexible sittings for guests to enjoy the view as they feel most comfortable with.

Blush Hoian

Blush is a seasonal bar & nightclub catering to the Danang - Hoian market. Blush seeks to become not only a premier beach entertainment destination in Vietnam but to become a regional hub of music, culture, food and the celebration of life.

The design intention is to create spaces that emphasize to the beach and to connect as much as possible with nature: A center lounge with rows of horizontal columns strongly positioned pointing towards the beach; a south lounge with exceptional long bar and a vibrant tatoo-inspired backdrop; a restaurant with natural solid wood bar and feature custom-made linear wooden pendants; a cabana fully wrapped by Vietnamese bamboo pattern; a colorful pool & sunken pool bar placed closely to the beach offers a fantastic view of the horizon.

Materials used in the whole project such as: bare concrete, solid wood, local stone, Vietnamese bamboo bring a touch of nature to the architecture, blending it with the surrouding landscape. Palm trees, coconut trees, beach morning glory, bamboos delicately planted freshen up the overall atmosphere, Hoian curtain ivy plant hanging from the concrete roof soften the rigid form of the whole architecture.

LOCATION DIEN DUONG, DIEN BAN | QUANG NAM, VIETNAM

Apartment B3

Kitchen & Living area are combined into one big space, defined by two main features: The Bulthaup B2 workbench & the multi-directional sofa. These objects represent innovative ideas that breakout from the conventional design philosophy. They are the perfect match to the interesting lifestyle of the young owner - who constantly has a need for a space that could inspire and generate new ideas.

Contemporary electic furniture filled up the rest of the space. The unique shapes, form and materials of these furnitures turn them into sculpture-like objects that could represent the owner's personal taste in art, design & architecture.

Located inside a riverfront-condominium in District 2, Saigon, the apartment is designed for a young man who is an art & technology enthusiast.

LOCATION DIAMOND ISLAND | DISTRICT 2, SAIGON | VIETNAM CLIENT CONFIDENTIAL AREA 200 SQUARE METERS STATUS COMMISSIONED

Apartment HH

A young couples own a 2-bedroom apartment in district 2, Saigon asked for a design that could reflect their young and high-end lifestyle.

A kitchen finished in all wood acts as a focal point that could impress guests once they walk through the entrance door into the apartment. Living area and dining area is combined to save up the space. The modular sofa is designed so that it could be separated and combine with the dining table and chairs to serve more people when there is a party. Such idea fits well with the young and active lifestyle of the client. Lighting and artwork adds a subtle touch of high-end to the space, create a warm and cozy atmosphere.

LOCATION MASTERI THAO DIEN | DISTRICT 2, SAIGON | VIETNAM