Ensue

by merci team Photos courtesy of Chris Shao Studio Photographer: Common Studio: Lit Ma & Kelly Puleio Studio

I am not only an Interior designer but also a Storyteller, said Chris Shao. Chris's design intention is simple and based on three theories: the truth of material, the loyalty to the story, and the sensor to tension. Chris was initially being born in China and a New York-based designer. He founded Chris Shao Studio LLC in 2016. While pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at the New York School of Interior Design, Chris received his first major commission to design the interiors of a multi-family project at 111 Varick Street, in the cosmopolitan neighbourhood of SoHo. His designs have been coveted for their fusion of masculine with feminine, rich fabrics with sharp contemporary silhouettes, and romantic ideals with classical stoicism. In addition, he lends a signature twist to everyday essentials.

In 2018, Chris Shao opened a second design studio in Shanghai, China. His design philosophy lives in the studio's pared-back aesthetic and respect for materials while remaining avant-garde in its reinterpretations of contemporary classics. Currently, both studios have broadened their design footprints among high-end residential, hospitality, and commercial projects on an International scale.

Noho Manhattan natives, Chris Shao Studio LLC started its design journey in 2017 and is credited with bringing a refreshing nuance to the Interior Design scene. The studio’s designs are imbued with naturalistic and eclectic ambiance. Citing a guiding principle of Arts & Crafts pioneer William Morris, of “truth to materials” as a key influence, the design team offers an unfussy, free-spirited vision of contemporary design, that is considered, without being pretentious. This approach has unsurprisingly won the studio a legion of clients, who covert Chris Shao Studio’s distinctive work.

Chris Shao Studio at Broadway, Bleecker Street New York City

The team at Chris Shao Studio have formed their base in New York City, each coming from a range of distinct and distant cultures. Asian, Central American and Australian backgrounds influence a unique approach to design, however conform around the same design values of sophistication and exclusivity. Diversity has assisted the studio in accomplishing a strong but versatile identity that translates into every project, creating a unique and personal result for each client.

Located on Broadway, at Bleecker Street, the design of the studio revolves around the nostalgic spirit of Noho, where contemporary and traditional design languages converse. The studio’s loft ceilings allows bold design ideas to naturally form. To reinterpret and reinvent one of the most artistic neighborhoods in New York City, Chris Shao Studio has created a space that represents their unique and contemporary approach to design by using homogenous dark and neutral tones and contrasting furniture styles, embellished with a growing collection of vintage and antique artefacts. Industrial, traditional and oriental styles have been ingeniously balanced throughout the space, featuring wood, zinc and linen finishes.

Throughout his travels, Chris Shao has collected a range of art, antique furnishings and objects that embody a significant story or meaning. From an African milking stool, to Portugese Santos Cage dolls, the studio represents a microcosm of decorative objects that have shaped a range of design styles throughout history, and continue to influence the studio’s design language.

Each piece has a unique aesthetic, meaning and story that speaks for the basis of Chris Shao’s design philosophy; “I’m not only an Interior Designer, but also a Storyteller.”

Chris Shao Studio at Shanghai

ONE STORY • ONE DESIGN TELLING

I visited Chef Christopher Kostow in the spring of 2018 at his farm in St. Helena, CA. During our initial design briefing conversation for Ensue, he asked me “what is your definition of luxury?”. My response was that, to me, emotion evokes the greatest sense of luxury, as identifying luxury itself is a very deep and personal response to something. Chef Kostow then pointed to a tree in his farm and told me that that was his luxury. At that moment, I made up my mind that in the process of designing his restaurant I was going to bring an unpretentious naturalism into the urban landscape of Shenzhen that would be emotive, yet effortless.

Inspired by the aesthetics of wabi-sabi, Chef Kostow represents his cuisine in the simplest form, but with the most intricate philosophy. In the design mechanism of Ensue, I aim to find a new emotional representation of luxury, achieved through unifying local vernacular, with contemporary ideas. A fusion of eastern ideas and philosophy, with western execution will create a space that evokes a new sense of style and elegance. This concept, executed with a wabi-sabi aesthetic that celebrates transience and imperfection, cohesively suggests “a Buddhist teaching of the three marks of existence, specifically impermanence, suffering and emptiness or absence of self-nature.” – Leonard Koren. Furthermore, the space embodies an interesting interaction between the ideas of fire and ice; two sensory, visual and conceptually jarring circumstances, that are unified in a way to create a calming sense of balance.

In Ensue, I also personified many design intentions based on my Chinese upbringing. I explored the work of local artisans and manufacturers around Canton region, to rethink and redefine the modern meaning of Made-in-China in the design industry. With more pride and few disappointments, Ensue really evokes a new thinking of my culture that until now, is yet to be explored in relation to design. Being so personal, this entire process was an emotional one. This project is my new definition of “luxury”.

As complicated as it may sound to you, I take great pleasure in inviting you on this journey curated by Chris Shao Studio; as the name states, to discover the emotional response that will Ensue.

Ensue

The Entrance is where this Journey Starts

As you enter Ensue, guests are immediately introduced to the natural landscape of Napa, along with Cantonese influences that honor the heritage of Shenzhen.

Simple and natural elements engage the guest with a new experience of fine dining, by way of redefining a luxurious and opulent experience with a more naturalistic aesthetic that still embodies refined detail. A moody landscape mural that has been hand-painted by a local artist is the main feature of this dramatic entrance. It depicts a foggy scene, adorned with horsehair sconces by Apparatus, that immediately sets the tone of the restaurant - a dark, cozy and intimate setting, that allows you to only view nature as nothing but luxury.

Equally as dramatic, the chandelier by Rosie Li Studio that greets guests as soon as they enter the front doors, presents another naturalist element, this time using modern elements and techniques. Floral sculptures soften the mood of the space, but are strongly defined by the use of polished brass metal.

Transitioning through the entrance, a pitched shingled ceiling is reminiscent of traditional Cantonese architecture. Velvet textiles have been used in cool tones to balance the striking nature of the chandelier and stone shingles, and brings a needed softness to the space.

Finally, a custom reception desk has been created to mimic deer horns, which are also featured at the front entrance as you enter from the elevator lobby. Inspired from pages in Chef Kostow’s book, these elements bring a sense of playfulness and imagery that are strongly tied with nature and the Napa countryside.

The soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, caused by the refraction and scattering of the sun’s rays from the atmosphere. IT IS THE STATE OF AMBIGUITY. IT IS THE TWILIGHT IN NAPA VALLEY.

In the main dining room, Ensue, a grey and neutral color palette allows the food and flavor to shine. Where color is lacking, effortless detail has been incorporated through millwork, wall paneling, and structure to create a refined and sophisticated room that is the heart and soul of the project.

The fertile nature of Shenzhen and the canton region is referenced in the space through warm lighting accents and luxurious textiles. Natural elements are also introduced into a modern design, through materials and furnishings, as well as a custom branch lighting fixture that connects the double height space with the bar above, and gives the feeling of the local landscape being elevated 40-floors above the bustling city below.

To combat the rigidity of the existing architecture, curves have been introduced into the structural design of the dining room’s ceiling. This curved design element to define the double height space emulates the idea of a flowing stream in Napa, or the coastline of Shenzhen Bay. Where the ceiling meets the diving wall between Dining Room and Hallway that leads to the kitchen, the ceiling curves like a wave towards the back of the banquettes and defines this area as a cozy and intimate space, without the use of any vertical separation.

The atmosphere of this restaurant is heavily influenced by the idea of Twilight in Napa. Not only is the ambiance of the space enhanced during this hour, but the colors, lighting and intimacy of the Dining Room evokes that time of day just after the sun has set. The hue of the mountains translates through the color palette of the finishes and furnishings, and the custom wall sconces and banquette lightings utilize an exposed filament lamp to imitate the glow of the setting sun. Separating the banquettes from the hallway is a vertical louvered wall partition that creates an obstructed view of this passage, similar to the way that trees.

IT IS FRESH. IT IS PREVIOUS.

Private Lounge of Alcove: tiny drops of water that form on cool surfaces at night, when atmospheric vapor condenses. A big part of designing this restaurant in the space that used to be an empty, open roof of atop the Futian Shangri-La Hotel, was making the most of this incredibly tall ceiling height that was offered at the top of the building, and maximizing the existing window exposure and phenomenal views. With a total height of 13-meters (43-feet) the program was able to include an entirely new structure to accommodate a bar and lounge, now known as Alcove.

So that the Main Dining Room of Ensue could maintain the full extent of the window height, the mezzanine floor was set back to allow for the light and views to filter in. As a result, the upstairs bar and lounge is provided with a balcony to observe out and down, and the two spaces become interconnected even though their aesthetic and feel are vastly different. A custom branch light fixture hangs into the upper portion

of Ensue’s double height space, and is masterfully countered over the railing above, providing a singular round lamp to illuminate the first of the lounge tables that line the railing.

Even with the mezzanine floor, an enormous 7-meter (22 feet) glass ceiling sits above the bar, whose height is enhanced by vertical glass panels with elongated linear design detail. Because of the abundance of natural light, a light wood has been used throughout to capture the essence of dawn; the first light of the day. At nighttime, during Alcove’s peak operating hours, the lightness of materials allows for exaggerated low-level lighting to create a moody and intimate setting in such an expansive space.

Private Lounge of Alcove: tiny drops of water that form on cool surfaces at night, when atmospheric vapor condenses. IT IS FRESH. IT IS PREVIOUS.

A new design language is introduced in the second private dining room, through more rigid and linear forms, and a departure from a saturation of rich tones throughout the room. Overall, the style is more relaxed featuring a lounge seating arrangement and family-style 8-seat round table, yet still maintains a level of refinement through the grand double height structure and glass surround.

In this room exists the idea of Mountain Dew, named as such after the essence of Dawn. Traditional Chinese cooks would collect dew in the morning from water lilies, and make tea for their guests during the day. It is regarded as the most luxurious natural ingredient for beverages, because of its pure nature.

The feature of this space is a dried leaf hanging from above. On the counter side of Mountain Dew came the inspiration of dried flora and fauna; elemental design ideas that were introduced by Chef Kostow’s direction of creating a wabi-Sabi environment. The selection of blue as an accent grounds the space, and is representational of dew that has trickled down from the dried leaves. This juxtaposition of dried and hydrated elements.

A ‘secret’ area exists on the 3rd Floor, where clients can access two private rooms from the mezzanine. Interaction with tangible design stories is important for guests, as it creates a more personal and unique experience, beyond the service of food and cocktails. It is at the highest point of the Restaurant that this notion is ultimately realized.

Guests walk up a white marble stairs with custom designed railing, where each iron post forms a flower bud. Ascending the stairs with this railing in hand, is reminiscent of farmers and cooks collecting dew from their land. Upon arrival, the first and only feature of the landing is a bookcase, in disguise. Various objects and compartments comprise this speakeasy door, that operates by pressing a lone book on the far left. This leads to what is best described as a reading room, showcasing books on a custom display stand that allows for large books to lay open and encourage reading. The wall at which this display is located adjoins the double height space from where the dried leaf and dew fixture now hangs at eye level, and showcases a view of the private Dining Room and falling dew, below.

The second private room on this level similarly features a custom book display and lounge seating, in more traditional Chinese blue and white palette.