Contract - April 2014 - 77

TAO
DOWNTOWN
By Murrye Bernard
Photography by
Eric Laignel

Rockwell Group designs
a restaurant in which to see
and be seen in New York
TAO Group pioneered the Pan-Asian cuisine trend in 2000 when it
opened TAO in Midtown Manhattan, followed by a Las Vegas location.
Capitalizing on the brand's success, the restaurant and nightclub
group engaged Rockwell Group to design TAO Downtown in the
lower levels of the Maritime Hotel in the Chelsea neighborhood
near the Meatpacking District in New York.
Although Rockwell Group did not design either of the previous
TAO locations, TAO Group had established a relationship with the firm
while collaborating on the Marquee Nightclub at the Cosmopolitan
Resort in Las Vegas and could count on it to deliver a standout interior.
"We knew that we had to reinvent ourselves due to the fact that we
were opening a second location in New York and because the original
design, while timeless, was conceived such a long time ago," says Rich
Wolf, co-owner of TAO Group. "Our mantra for TAO Downtown was
'next level shit.'"
A platform for people watching
Levels do, in fact, define the space. The 22,000-square-foot
restaurant-which spans an entire city block and seats up to 400
throughout-is mostly below grade. The space it occupies had
previously contained a restaurant and a music venue, and Rockwell
Group chose to relocate the entrance from 16th Street to Ninth Avenue
to differentiate TAO from those former establishments. This move also
allowed for a dramatic entry procession that begins with coat check
and extends down a long passageway framed by portals made from
weathered wood slats. The old brick basement walls were revealed and
layered with Chinese calligraphy by Studio Hoon Kim and murals of
geisha-style women by UK-based street artist HUSH.
After reaching the hostess station, patrons turn right and enter
the restaurant bar on the mezzanine level and experience a "wow
moment," according to Shawn Sullivan, a partner with Rockwell Group,
as they take in the view of the entire length of the restaurant, down
into the main dining room on the cellar level. The focal point of the
voluminous space is the 40-foot-long grand stair. Made of wood, the
stair has deep landings with rounded custom banquettes along the

edges and tables and bench seats positioned at the center for prime
people watching. "We wanted to create a restaurant that was about
encouraging social interaction-it's less about planting yourself at your
table, and more about getting up and moving around," Sullivan says.
The stair can transform into a runway for fashion shows or serve as
bleachers for movie screenings.
True to the TAO brand, the space is bookended by custom-made
Buddha sculptures. A 16-foot-long reclining Buddha rests within the
restaurant bar on the mezzanine level, and at the opposite end, a
20-foot-tall Quan Yin Buddha with 24 outstretched arms stands above
a koi pond on the cellar level. Rockwell Group's LAB studio designed 3D
projection mapping technology that makes waterfalls appear to flow
down the statue, its eyes seem to 'blink,' or tattoos trace magically
along its many arms.
Guests can experience the main dining room from different
vantage points, including two skyboxes, two private dining rooms on
either side of the Quan Yin, or from the INK Bar on the mezzanine level,
which is divided from the main dining room by a two-story, laser-cut
metal screen featuring an abstracted pattern inspired by traditional
Asian screens. Late-night revelers may choose to sip TAO-Tinis in a
separate, but equally sumptuous, two-story lounge with a discreet,
alley-like entrance from 16th Street.
Mixing found treasures with bespoke features
Rockwell Group designers created a vocabulary that references several
Asian cultures and combines curated artifacts with new custom pieces.
The result is a space that feels like a recently discovered tomb, and is
gritty enough for its downtown location. "We wanted to create the feel
of a New York cellar space that had always been there," Sullivan says.
Many elements-including thick, carved stone columns from
Bali and antique statues, furniture, and art pieces-were collected by
design team members on visits to Asia. Rockwell Group designed most
of the light fixtures, from beaded-tassel pendants within INK Bar to
oversized, lantern-like pendants set within wire cages that hang
throughout the main dining room and mitigate the scale of its high
ceiling. Banquettes throughout the restaurant feature luxurious
details by Rockwell Group, such as elaborate stitching, channel
tufting, and edge rivets.
While many elements within TAO Downtown reference
the ancient, the project marks a significant shift in branding for
its owner. According to Wolf, "We wiped the slate clean, and
together with Rockwell Group, created something fresh, sexy,
and breathtakingly beautiful." c

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Contract - April 2014

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