Hospitality Design - September 2013 - 165

Chi Lin

West Hollywood, California
Owners

Lee Maen and Philip Cummins, IDG

Management Company and Purchasing Firm

Innovative Dining Group (IDG)

Architecture Firm

Ralph Gentile Architects, Los
Angeles

Architecture Project Team

Ralph Gentile, Sergio Osorio, and
Catia Sander

Interior Design Firm

Studio Collective, Santa Monica,
California

Interior Design Project Team

Christian Schulz, Adam Goldstein,
and Leslie Kale

Infinity Butterfly Installation

Jocelyn Marsh

Contractor

Alfredo Annino Construction

5
collaborated with on Italian restaurant
RivaBella, which shares a building with
Chi Lin.
In contrast to RivaBella’s expansive patio,
Studio Collective opted for a modular, uplit
concrete façade with a custom neon sign
and gold-leafed light well to lure diners to
Chi Lin. “We chose to construct something
which was both reminiscent of the ancient
temples and palaces of China, but also
representative of the speed and modernity
of present-day Hong Kong,” says principal
Adam Goldstein. “Alluding to incredible
structures such as Beijing’s Forbidden City,
its monolithic stance over Sunset Boulevard
offers only a small glimpse into its interior
through a narrow slot window.”
Beyond, “within a windowless and
warmly lit space of layered lighting—
combined with walls and ceilings that
de-materialize and reflect and refract
before one’s eyes—the notions of time and
day and night are blurred, and the feeling
of where one actually is once inside is
obscured,” says principal Christian Schulz.
Throughout, a series of juxtapositions offers
a compelling visual interplay. For example,
backlit mirrors and 3D artwork channel
contemporary Hong Kong, while Old World
inspiration is found in massive, handlacquered red, solid wood doors with
antique brass.
A slew of additional opposites attract:
Chinese granite, geometrically set flush in
ebonized solid oak floors, deviates from its
polished bartop form; burnt black charred
oak paneling in the skylit patio is set against
smooth, ebony-framed mirrored wall

Lighting

3. Solid ebonized oak
floors contrast with a
polished granite bartop
in the bar.
4. The Inceptioninspired dining room,
with a ceiling covered
in illuminated custom
lanterns.

5. A palette of red and
ebony creates a sultry
Old World China-meetsmodern Hong Kong vibe
on the patio.

Janmar Lighting, Halo, Juno Lighting
Group, Hev Lite, Tivoli, Gibson
Lighting, On Sale China, Leslie Kale,
Lightolier, and Phillips Lighting
Controls

Engineering

Spec & Tek Engineering Group

Graphics

Warren Red and Tyco Signs

Entry Doors and Hardware

Ventsam Sash & Door, Innovative
Door Solutions, and Eric Beneker
Designs

Façade

paneling; and gritty, ancient Asian stones
with handcarved Chinese inscriptions
are a rustic departure from polished onyx
stone. “We were trying to achieve a look of
a predominantly dark and sexy lair to get
lost in, to wander about, yet still feel good,”
Schulz points out.
Anchoring the space is a meditative
installation, a large-scale diorama amped
up by 3D infinity mirrors and crafted by
local assemblage artist Jocelyn Marsh. “We
began working with very large light boxes
spanning the walls of the main dining
room, and due to their sheer size had to
be conscious of the fine line between high
drama and overwhelming,” says principal
Leslie Kale. In Marsh’s “The Path of the
White Butterfly,” a Chinese meadow
spanning all seasons comes to life through
real cherry blossom trees and more than
3,000 farm-raised butterflies mingling with
Marsh’s own custom, cast bronze versions.
It is, notes Kale, “exactly what we hoped to
accomplish: adding depth, color, and genuine
spirit to the overall design experience.” hd

Agave Designs and Storyland
Studios

Stone Flooring

Exquisite Surfaces and International
Stone

Wood Flooring

Dima and Zavalla Flooring

Wallpaper

Lincrusta, Max Fina, and Agave
Designs

Audio and Video Systems

All Stage Pro

Bar and Kitchen Equipment

Shambra Restaurant Consulting

Infinity Boxes

IDG and Eric Beneker Designs

Millwork, Columns, and Mirrors

Eric Beneker Designs

Dining Room Booths, Couch, Soft Goods, and
Fabrication

Emiliano & Associates

Furniture

Berbere World Imports

Chinese Vases and Objects

Leslie Kale and IDG

Fabric

Jim Thompson, Tiger Leather, Clarke
& Clarke, Moore & Giles, Warblar,
Thomas Lavin, Donghia, and Pollack

st u dio-col l ect ive. com; innovat ive dining. com

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165
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