Under the creative direction of Tom Dixon, Design Research Studio (DRS) has created the interiors for ALTO, a new contemporary grill in Hong Kong. ALTO is Design Research Studio’s first restaurant project in Asia.
DRS has called upon the practice of alchemy and the four classical elements of earth, air, fire and water to create dramatic and striking interiors that bare the darker side of nature. Inspired by ALTO’s concept of a contemporary grill with reinterpreted classics, each furnishing and fixture has been carefully selected for its association with the natural elements or the transformation of the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Tom Dixon used a monochrome background to frame ALTO’s expansive views and the interior’s raw textures. The restaurant’s expansive canopy of 230 gold mini Melt lights – the biggest installation of its kind in the world – sits over the main restaurant space and creates a warm glow that distorts, reflects and sets the glamourous tone of the dining experience.
Blackened timber table tops and benches resonate fire, as does the molten metal of the restaurant’s brass fittings and fixtures. Extensive use of green marble and terrazzo stone throughout the restaurant embody the earth.
