Sassy, the bar and lounge
Name of the project: Soba Sassy
Location: Kolkata
Size of the plot: Spread over 650 sq metres
Date of completion: 2023
Design Firm: A Square Designs
Principal architect: Ajay Arya
Photographer: Atul Pratap Chauhan
The primary goal for A Square Designs while designing Soba Sassy, a pan Asian restaurant and lounge in Kolkata, was to create a vibrant and memorable space with picturesque interiors that are evocative of East Asia. The space accordingly brings together a medley of colours, textures, art and design elements that are inspired by the region to create an immersive and atmospheric dining experience. “Just like the cuisine it offers, the restaurant interiors create a serene, lush and creative world heightened by the inclusion of Asian flora and fauna,” says Ajay Arya, interior designer and founder of A Square Designs.
Soba, the dining area
The space spans 650 square metres and is divided into two areas: Soba, the dining area, and Sassy, the bar and lounge area.
Entrance to Soba Sassy
Entrance to Soba Sassy
The playful mood of the space is set at the entryway, which features hand painted murals over black walls and bright neon signs.
Soba dining area
This leads to Soba, the primary dining area, which has been designed with an energetic colour palette including magenta, chrome yellow, bottle green and fuchsia. Assortments of faux flowers adorn the walls adding to the vibrant ambience. “We have also introduced bright shades with artworks, upholstery, flooring, and lights. The expanse is stunning and the space has a bright backdrop adorned with our design sensibility,” says Arya. Material choices for the restaurant include terrazzo-like tiles and microfibre, leather and velvet upholstery.
Sassy lounge area
The bar at Sassy
Soba opens out to the other area, Sassy, which houses the bar and lounge, and features a range of design elements that lend character, such as the hand-painted wall murals of flora and a grand bar that features brass arches. Tall wall installations that depict dancing pandas contribute to the playful atmosphere of the space. “The intention was to set a happy mood throughout the interiors and create a space for all kinds of celebrations,” Arya says.
Panda installations at Sassy
Faux cherry blossom tree at Sassy
A massive faux cherry blossom tree strategically placed within the Sassy bar area heightens the glamour and the surreal quotient of the space . It also draws attention to the 14-ft floor-to-ceiling height. “It was a bit of a challenge to do justice to the vast volume,” notes Arya. The tree branches stretch out over the bar area from a height, making use of this volume. A full length mirror further amplifies the sense of space.
The Pink Room
The Pink Room
The Sassy bar area comes with what Ajay Arya calls a ‘surprise element’, the Pink Room with mosaic tiles in pink. This playful space includes bright pink and purple booths, an oval bathtub filled with pink balloons, as well as a neon wall sign, capturing the quirky and playful design ethos of the entire restaurant. “It’s also a fabulous backdrop for photographs and selfies – highly instagrammable like they say.”
The floor plan of Soba Sassy
Story by Sridevi Nambiar
Image caption, harmoniously combine two usually distinct indulgences
The link between the two main areas, the one closest to the entryway with the bar counter and lounge and the one at the rear reserved for aesthetic treatments, is a decorative feature with a great scenic impact: a series of deep blue glass portals guides the gaze towards the beauty area, giving the space perspective depth and a theatrical feel. This liminal space also houses the boutique and the facial bar, functions that will cater for a passing public and have faster times than the more complex treatments, as well as delineating the perimeter of the two lounges. “The management of flows and technical spaces,” the architects tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.” cts tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.”The link between the two main areas, the one closest to the entryway with the bar counter and lounge and the one at the rear reserved for aesthetic treatments, is a decorative feature with a great scenic impact: a series of deep blue glass portals guides the gaze towards the beauty area, giving the space perspective depth and a theatrical feel. This liminal space also houses the boutique and the facial bar, functions that will cater for a passing public and have faster times than the more complex treatments, as well as delineating the perimeter of the two lounges. “The management of flows and technical spaces,” the architects tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.” cts tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.”
The link between the two main areas, the one closest to the entryway with the bar counter and lounge and the one at the rear reserved for aesthetic treatments, is a decorative feature with a great scenic impact: a series of deep blue glass portals guides the gaze towards the beauty area, giving the space perspective depth and a theatrical feel. This liminal space also houses the boutique and the facial bar, functions that will cater for a passing public and have faster times than the more complex treatments, as well as delineating the perimeter of the two lounges. “The management of flows and technical spaces,” the architects tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.” cts tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.”
Image caption, harmoniously combine two usually distinct indulgences
The choice of materials and finishes was in keeping with this chromatic landscape. “Through the moodboard we visualized the allure of the space,” explains Pennesi. “An interplay of alternations between more or less tactile surface textures, contrasting colors and opaque and translucent finishes that create intriguing peep-through effects.”
This led to the choice of stoneware tiles by Ceramica Sant’Agostino, which deck the floors and bar counter with their dense and uniform speckled pattern and bind together the different areas into which the space is divided, wth laminates from Arpa Industriale and Kaindl, used respectively for the support surfaces and the structures of the bespoke furnishings.
“We chose these materials for both aesthetic and functional reasons. Aesthetic because this type of semi-finished product has color ranges that enabled us to make choices consistent with the palette we created; and practical because they are wearproof materials and ensure easy sanitization. In particular, Fenix, a special laminate we used to coat the counter top, with a surface that has a non-porous outer layer, makes the material easy to clean and suitable for contact with food as well as fingerprint-proof and pleasant to the touch.”
Even the lighting was curated in detail, helping create a pleasant and richly detailed environment. Bellhop cordless table lamps designed by Barber & Osgerby for Flos, illuminate the tables with their discreet light. Suspended above the bar counter is a spectacular suspension composition created with a series of “leaves” in Diphy polycarbonate. Designed by Mirco Crosatto for Stilnovo, it was inspired by a fascinating Japanese plant, whose flowers turn as transparent as crystal in contact with water.
