Human-centric design choices combine sophistication and warmth at the intersection of work and leisure. Situated on Golf Course Extension Road in Gurugram, the Citadines at Paras Square is strategically placed to connect business travellers and tourists alike. As a part of the portfolio of hotels owned by Ascott, Singapore, the brand offers cosy ‘hotel apartments’ at the intersection of thriving businesses and a vibrant social life.
A 24-hour coffee shop, a chic bar, and a buffet-style restaurant overlook the surrounding expanse of Gurugram from the top storey of this 14-floor building. The dining area benefits from the generous indirect light on the northern periphery by tucking away the supporting spaces behind the staircase core. Three distinct regions differentiate the space anchored at the centre by a resplendent multipurpose bar counter.
Amalgamating work and leisure, the first zone offers signature value additions through a meeting room near a multipurpose lounge. Secondly - in the central dining zone, subtle enhancement and dividers within the furniture scheme allow for intuitive navigation around the marquee food services. Finally, balconies facing the pleasant north provide seating that offers panoramic cityscape views for the alfresco diner.
A solid visual narrative for this design is a crucial differentiator to retaining footfall in a competitive world of buffet cuisines. As the dominant common element throughout the area, the grey-beige ceiling finds a glow in the consistent northern light, creating a cosy backdrop for all the aesthetic impressions within the room. In comparison, the reception area, further away, is intentionally light-toned throughout to compensate for the meagre natural light. At the bar counter, slender arches in brass leverage their vantage position to impress and amplify verticality in the composition. Not just helping to reinforce the bar counter at the centre, the centrally radiating inlays in the stone also add gravitas to the delicate brass sheet material closer to it.
Portals signify sequential shifts across dining sections as one walks past slender brass arches that transcend memories of their rigid architectural counterparts. Nestled within the brass arches, indoor plants serve as ornaments of warmth to the portals that eventually end at the live kitchen counter. Using in-house furniture, the design intent avoids repetitions in choices, opening up infinite possibilities in colour and shape to suit the spatial narrative. Seen in green, bar stools draped in olive confirm the sophisticated aesthetic of the bar counter, while a compact yellow-green chair compels diners to take a seat for a quick meal. In comparison, comfortable high-back seats at the corners of the portals are paired with custom-made, mid-century chairs that suggest a more relaxed pace. Playing within the dominant colour palette, chairs, bar stools and tables subtly tease softer human perceptions by changing avatars to influence user behaviour.
Beyond traditional roles, mirrors and lights inscribe their shape above the furniture to add a distinct sense of human scale in the long room. Featuring as a theme, the round-light and brass stem lights by And Studio House outline specific curved shapes that subvert and highlight spaces in tandem with the furniture features. Below the architrave, placed in strategic locations, mirrors with their illusory effects allow the designers and visitors to project new dimensions to the space. Detailed ornately in wood, door jambs, skirtings, and architraves regale the viewer with the other wood-clad walls, maintaining material consistency across all rooms.
By acting as a foreground to the smooth light from the north, the impressions of materials inspire sophistication and warmth in equal measure. Brought together through a human-centric design theme, the selection of colour, artwork, and furniture choices successfully elicits specific human emotions. As a result, the users are directed through a strategic inner narrative that is best suited to amplify such a dynamic dining experience.
