EMPLOYMENT STRATEGY… NEW WORKPLACE DESIGN

Trapped in Japan…
Shigeru Ban Follows Ito to a Pritzker
Big Thinking…
Moshe Safdie Talks
Snakes on a Plain…
Tree Snake House, Portugal
Employment Strategy…
New Workplace Design
www.hinge.hk
HK$80
RMB80
US$11
[project file – new york]
Cool
Clement Restaurant & Bar
New York City
Yabu Pushelberg
In fast-paced New York City, when one restaurant’s
doors close, another restaurant’s doors open. The
storied Peninsula New York recently launched a new
dining concept, Clement, set on the site of the former
Fives eatery on the hotel’s mezzanine level. Overlooking
Fifth Avenue, the 3,300sq ft contemporary American
restaurant designed by Toronto-based interiors
firm Yabu Pushelberg was conceived to resemble a
quintessential Manhattan apartment.
“The restaurant is a series of intimate rooms that are
all visually interconnected, yet slightly different in feeling
and mood,” says Yabu Pushelberg co-founder Glenn
Pushelberg. “Our desire was to create a more personal
and residential-feeling restaurant.” The interiors feature
warm, soft finishes juxtaposed with natural, earthy
hues, custom art, and rich textures. Wood panelling
embedded with brushed metals and mirrors create a
glamorous style, while the linen fabrics and rich leathers
infuse a relaxed, homey ambience.
Clement is divided into six rooms, including a spacious
bar area, a breakfast nook and an intimate private
dining chamber. Each has a distinctive look and feel.
The restaurant’s entrance is flanked by a dramatic
installation of 900 handthrown ceramic bowls and
vases by artist Pascale Giradin. One dining room is
designed to evoke the stateliness of hotel libraries of
bygone days. Yabu Pushelberg called on Toronto-based
hinge 223_62
Photography by Evan Dion and Garrett Rowland
design studio Moss and Lam to produce linen rag paper of
varying tones, weights and textures to fill the bookshelves that
line this space. Moss and Lam’s creativity was also tapped for
the Colour Room, in which the studio’s 60ft-long wall etching of
a jungle-inspired New York scene glows above dark red leather
banquettes. The Mirror Room is home to handmade reflective
artwork, and the private dining room features a warm palette of
grey, gold and lavender, with painted silk panels. The whimsical
style of the restaurant as a whole is offset by the bar area, which
comprises a long, black stone counter, a low communal couch in
leather, and diminutive duet tables. Here, dark tones of tobacco
and cognac dominate the colour scheme.
As in a modern uptown penthouse, Clement’s carefully planned
rooms scale gracefully from an intimate lounge to larger
dining areas, catering to a range of desires and occasions.
Notes Pushelberg, “The design responds to how people enjoy
dining out by accommodating areas to drink and eat (in) a little
more causally, and also creating beautiful dining rooms that
feel comfortable and familiar.” In a city with no shortage of
upscale dining venues, Clement’s unique touches and eclectic
atmosphere take the experience to the next level.