Hospitality Design - October 2016 - 151

3. Gray slate bricks
are arranged in a
herringbone pattern on
the U-shaped front bar.
4. The open kitchen's
countertop lighting is
fashioned from copper
tubes.

5. Chandeliers made
from repurposed
stainless steel washing
drums make a statement
in the center of the
restaurant.
6. Shaving brushes
create interest in the
barber shop-inspired
lounge space Nate's
Den, where chicken
wire is pressed into the
concrete walls for added
texture.

Rhoda
Hong Kong

Owner and Management Company

JIA Group

Interior Design Firm

Joyce Wang Studio, Hong Kong

Interior Design Project Team

Joyce Wang, Samuel Marsden, and
Mariana Foley

Contractor and Engineering

Together Contracting Company

6
"Nate is a tough guy," says Joyce Wang,
founder of locally based Joyce Wang Studio,
who was a patron of 22 Ships and got to
know Green before the collaboration. "We
wanted to bring in aesthetics that were
representative of him-hot rods, comic
books, and anything retro." His oft-worn
Cherry Coke-colored Dr. Martens boots,
for example, are channeled in the leather
upholstery on chairs.
Situated on the ground floor of a new
high-rise development, Rhoda's most
striking feature-besides its 15-foot-tall
ceilings-is its rusted steel façade, consisting
of garage screen doors "designed to slide
open to welcome in the neighborhood,"
Wang says, and entry doors tucked to
either side. Within, the plan is orderly and
symmetrical, with a decidedly motorcycle
shop vibe. Wang repurposed stainless steel
washing machine drums into chunky
chandeliers that dominate the restaurant's
center, and a large U-shaped front bar is
mirrored at the back to reflect Green's open
kitchen.
"The emphasis is on drama, with Nate
on stage," explains Wang. Because his
simple, comforting food is heavily influenced
by Japanese cuisine and plating, and the

charcoal grill is a feature in many dishes,
the team used a shou-sugi ban burntwood technique on columns and walls and
handpicked cushion fabrics during a trip
to Tokyo. And since Rhoda is derived from
the Greek word for rose, the flower became
Green's logo and Wang lasercut Tudor roses
into the wooden tabletops.
Playing up the industrial vibe, in
Nate's Den-a barber shop-inspired alcove
that seats six and is intended as a quiet
spillover space for the bar-Wang used
chicken wire pressed into concrete on the
walls' substructure as a textural backdrop.
Elsewhere, shiny copper tubes fashioned
into wall and countertop lighting fixtures are
contrasted with copper panels on the bar and
open kitchen that are coated with a wash (a
combination of detergent, vinegar, and salt
sprayed on and left to oxidize, she explains)
to give it an aged patina, while gray slate
bricks arranged in a herringbone pattern
front both, adding geometric interest.
"Rhoda feels different from night to
day," Wang points out. "Although it is in the
middle of the city, it feels private." hd
j oycewang. co m; rho da.hk

Lighting

DSC Group and 4Group Lighting
System

Graphics

Light & Motion

MAIN DINING
Shou-Sugi Ban Timber

Exterior Solutions Limited

Fabric

Kvadrat

Terrazzo Bartop and Verdigris Copper

Custom finish by Joyce Wang Studio

Rope Above Banquette and Private Dining Area

Custom by Melever Fashion
Accessories

Tabletops

I.F. Collection; graphic by Joyce
Wang Studio

Lighting

New Bright International Group

NATE'S DEN
Tabletops

Pun + Projects

Fabric

Nuno

Cushion Belts

Fungus Workshop

Textured Concrete

Custom finish by Joyce Wang Studio

Shaving Brushes

Sourced from various suppliers in
China

hospitalitydesign.com October 2016

151
http://www.joycewang.com http://www.rhoda.hk http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
Hospitality Design - October 2016

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