Imagine being able to spend a peaceful evening with your loved ones in the middle of Dhaka’s hectic city life, where indoor and outdoor areas flow together to form a kid-friendly environment. And now, in O’play, it’s all come to life.
O’Play A playful combination of colours and spaces
Related Posts
Tradition Wrapped In Modernity: Terracotta Tales
In the fast-moving pace of Dhaka city, do we not all feel the need to slow down, away from the chaos, experience the presence of the surroundings, and stay in the moment? Inside the premises of the Tejgaon branch of Aarong, Terracotta Tales pays homage to the local craftsmanship. It is a place dedicated to the warm and sentimental dishes and the comforting and heartfelt ambiance that make us long for home. Rafia Mariam Ahmed, principal architect of Hive Architects, designed this beautiful restaurant having intimate dialects with details. When an individual experiences space, what does make one recall it? What works there is the phrase: “design is in the details.” The goal of embracing details is to get you to think critically and present the best possible solution —right from the beginning. That is why details are important. They can keep us coming back, or they can keep us from coming back. And definitely, that comes from a good number of researches. Terracotta Tales is one such location where traditional village home details are infused into a minimal modern portrayal. Terracotta Tales and the adjacent bakery, Dough Diaries, are in a joint venture with Aarong. They are one of the restaurants under the Emerald Restaurants, with other operational restaurants being: Thai Emerald, The Red Chamber, Grove, Trouvaille, Gusto, and Emerald Bakery. The structure the restaurant belongs to was initially designed by Vitti Sthapati Brindo Ltd. alongside the Aarong outlet. The outlook of the structure, starting from the large openings, landscape, and interior to the detailed texture on the outer surface – all were later added as the journey of designing this tale began. The theme and menu of the tale were to be Bengali cuisine, from where conceptualisation of the space began. “I started going back to our roots of being a Bengali. I wanted to pick the elements so rich with history, which had been used daily in our culture, for so many years, and blend these elements with modernity. I wanted to design a space that would take us back to where we belong, a place more oriented towards slow living,” Ms Rafia shared. The space is an abstract representation of a mud house, the softness of which is found in the details of rounded corners of walls, doors, and windows. The unevenly matte polished surfaces with raw, warm earthy colours take you to the affection of the rural aura. Even at night, the lighting is as such to create the ambiance of a warm-toned hue of “prodeep” (dimmed fire lamp). The centre light pieces are delicately handwoven cane shades. Terracotta has been used in many details of this space. In the shade of the walkway, with that of the semi-outdoor space on the rooftop, and the centre of attraction is the wall of the stairway that leads to the rooftop dining. The wall is composed of thin slates of terracotta tiles arranged in triangular patterns, which creates dialects with the light from the sky at different hours of the day. The lanterns used in the rooftop space are also custom-made of burnt clay. As clay is a vital component of humans, country, and roots, the concept and name were associated with terracotta to represent its power of affection. Tales of local artists and craftsmen were incorporated into the design by the use of cane lanterns and clay lamp shades and the famous “Tepa Putul” (a local handmade clay doll of a specific style). Potters and artists made larger sizes of these usual small-scale dolls that are placed on niches as commonly seen in the mud houses. Framed rustic metal jewelry and decorative mirror are added to the wall to represent the daily used materials in a rural mud house. The landscape is designed to wrap an individual with nature. The restaurant is pedestrian-only, with no vehicular connectivity directly, focusing on the practice of being close to nature. The walkway has a beautiful line of bamboo trees on one side and specifically selected floral trees on the other. There is also an outdoor sitting area where the hard surface meets the green in an undulating line. A small body of water curves along the structure is an abstract form of “pukur” (a pond) as commonly seen in the rural context. Ms Rafia said, “The mere attempt was to get out of the edged effect of modern city life to a more mellow and soulful experience – Where one can only indulge in the presence of themselves, the company, and, of course, the food. The trees shed flowers and leaves, creating an inviting bed of nature for the people exploring the outdoors. The curved walkways toward Dough Dairies also give you a feel of the rural memories.” The subconscious nostalgia with the cane-woven furniture details makes one reminisce childhood memories from the ancestral homes. The utility area has been partitioned with cane-weaved partitions to camouflage it in the interior. The wooden curtain rails and the door handles add value to the theme, complementing the colour palette. A few subtle colours are added by using a floral print material on the back of the seats, preventing the guests from feeling monotonous. Old ceramic plates are decorated on the wall, making a spectacular composition of colours, history, and belongingness. On a bright sunny afternoon, when the sun kisses the shallow water next to the large window with curtains of translucent softness, the sheening glitter of the rippling water reflecting on the ceiling catches one’s attention while being indulged in the nostalgic local cuisine. The soul runs through the handcrafted details and the softness of the ambiance makes one feel warm, cozy, and at home. The modern city crowd is so much more over-oriented towards a captivated lifestyle that even a natural splash of water becomes a form of irritation. Terracotta Tales is a space to celebrate that naturally unnatural necessity of life that people are slowly getting carried away from. Authored by Rehnuma Tasnim Sheefa
Freshly Baked Paris In The Heart Of Dhaka- Delifrance
Almost everyone who watched Western movies felt compelled to sample the aroma and atmosphere of a Frenchstyle bakery. Del france in Dhaka is the right place to get tapped on that subconscious note. Abid Mansur, Managing Director, Les Bleus Ltd., and the conveyor of Delifrance in Bangladesh, has been enticed by the healthcare and wellness sector as a squash enthusiast, but by the influence of memories, filling the gap of a perfect French bakery in town happened. The basic rule of the house is to make room for a improvements every day. The previous airline business of the family was a good help with the catering services taken as experience. Yet restaurant is not just about food but the experience of service and ambiance. Athula Priyankara, the CEO, leads a team that provides promised services. The ultimate happiness of customers is what their motto has been; that is what brings them back. Delifrance’s baked items are made with flour from the Grands Moulins de Paris, a major French milling company operating since 1919. The recipes served follow the franchise standards, and the new recipes also get approved by Paris. Hence, the international-quality chefs bring to the table a range of savoury dishes alongside croissants and other finger foods. The requirements and interior designing instructions came from a European interior design company, followed and designed by a local architectural consulting company, Chinton Architects Ltd. Starting from the colcur codes to the variation of sitting arrangements, the company has been under international protocols of the franchise. The play of experiences within the space has been the main focus and desire. Neeman Karim and Md. Ishak Mia and their team had previous experience designing for international companies, which eventually helped them implement the work gracefully. A very chic yet welcoming environment, defined by the themed colour palette consisting of bright orange and shades of blue, looks prominent. The basic layout provided by the European company had been well fitted and adjusted within the space. The materials are sourced locally and customised to the desired details, making the process sustainable. The segmentation and zoning of the restaurant are very noticeable and organised with the variation of chairs, lighting and flooring. “Our lifestyle is mostly oriented around fast food and visiting” The walls have intricate details, different textures, paneling, and branding posters. Ceramic tiles were cut and customised on the floor to achieve the desired effect. The ambient light has also been curated with a variation of pendant lighting and contemporary chandelier styles. The lingering aroma of the buttery delights, the buzz of the youthful city crowd, and the everlasting French discernment combine to create a packaged affair that anyone walking past Gulshan Avenue would relish. Authored by Rehnuma Tasnim Sheefa
An ode to a bold architectural narrative The New Travel East Restaurant
At the heart of any remarkable restaurant lies its design—a subjective blend of form and function. The design itself becomes a storyteller, weaving narratives of contemporary tradition. The walls, the textures, the colours—they all tell a story.