The design of the restaurant is to draw parallels between Dongpo the poet’s 1000 years of rich legacy and what his artist’s studio may have looked like in modern days. Four key elements – calligraphy, ink, paper and stone (used to grind out ink for writing) – were incorporated into a social living room with the brand colors of royal blue and champagne woven throughout.

An eclectic mix of furniture further contributes to a relaxed ambience, and abstract Chinese paintings behind the bar as well as a fixture comprised of large paintbrushes dangling from the ceiling serve as unique references to Dongpo’s life and work. Dongpo the logo itself portraits a hip and free spirit style responded to the casual street food. Taken together, these design solutions successfully translate the Chinese Meizhou Dongpo brand into a new metropolitan market in United States.

Design: Yuwen Peng / CallisonRTKL