Ammo Bar & Restaurant
Ammo, which won the Bars and Restaurants category at last month’s Inside Festival, is part of a new museum and headquarters for the Asia Society in Hong Kong.
This informed much of the aesthetic as designer Joyce Wang wanted the restaurant “to be dramatic.. many people would use the space to enter the museum as well as eat there. The arrival experience was very important to us,” she says. “Instead of conceiving of it as a museum café it became this lobby of arrival for the museum.” and with a waiting list of over 2 months to dine, lucky museum goers get to enjoy the space, albeit briefly, for the price at admission.
Interior designer Joyce Wang goes on to explain the history of the space, the process of the conversion from conception to completion, and the choices behind the furniture and fittings throughout, the majority of which are entirely custom made. “Practically everything apart from the lightbulbs [was custom designed],” Wang claims. “We didn’t want people to identify any of the furnishings, accessories or bits of furniture.”
“It was previously an ammunition storage facility that the British used to store explosives about a hundred years ago,” Wang explains. “We were asked by the client to convert the space into a museum café and from that a more luxurious and high-end dining experience was born.” “A lot of people visit the restaurant and they don’t realise that the bunker-like ceiling pays tribute to the vaulted ceiling of the museum above.”
Regardless of whether diners fully comprehend the references and history behind Wang’s design, they can easily appreciate it’s beauty and carefully crafted finishes. While it’s gilded sun ray back bar design is reminiscent of early 20th century Europe, Ammo is predominantly a showcase of a refined and stylish Asia, heightened with modern materials and artistic installation pieces. Ammo is boutique in size, and if it’s menu is as artfully curated as it’s interior, that 2 month waiting list is going to escalate quickly.
Interview excerpts courtesy of dezeen.com
