Discipline : Interior Design
Categories :
Accommodation, Restaurant & Bar / Restaurant > 1,600 sq.ft. (> 500 sq. m.)
: Gold certification
Founder Bing-Yi Yang first opened Din Tai Fung in 1958 as a cooking oil shop in Taiwan. As sales waned due to the rising popularity of tinned oil, Yang pivoted to the dumpling business, eventually converting the shop to a full-service restaurant in 1974. Business was booming; in 1993, the New York Times named Din Tai Fung as one of the top 10 restaurants in the world, which garnered global attention and prompted the brand to expand beyond one location. Today, Din Tai Fung is an award-winning dining establishment with over 170 locations across Asia, Europe, Australia, and the United States.
Din Tai Fung is a brand built on tradition, family, and authenticity. Rockwell Group was tapped to develop a fresh and compelling new design narrative that embraces these values while also redefining the brand’s look and feel to enrich the overall hospitality experience. We used their existing restaurant style as a jumping off point to identify which areas and elements could be scaled and accentuated through design.
Rockwell Group drew from the layout of a home that progresses to a series of gardens and courtyards, and we incorporated architectural details that reflect the intricate process of dumpling-making to tell a story grounded in the DNA of the brand. We also wanted to underscore the individuality of each restaurant; though they maintain a shared design story, they are unique from one another, taking inspiration from the natural environments distinct to their respective locales. The new Rockwell Group designs will debut in six locations: Portland, OR; Glendale, CA; Bellevue, WA; New York City; Downtown Disney in Anaheim, CA; and Vancouver, Canada.
For the design, Din Tai Fung asked Rockwell Group to bring the cultural artistry and theatrics rooted in its cuisine’s DNA to life, while also drawing inspiration from the Theater District outside its doors. The overarching goal for the design of this location was to evoke the pulse of the theater district— each space in the restaurant is almost like its own unique stage set, using dramatic forms, vibrant colors, and moody lighting. For example, the ceiling is a scenic element of the main dining room and creates a sense of choreography throughout the restaurant to really celebrate the social dining aspect of the brand. The design team used scale to their advantage to emphasize theatricality and incorporated compelling light fixtures, curtains and drapery, and over-scaled artwork throughout, creating “rooms within rooms.”
Warm tones and attention to detail are a jumping off point; then we began to identify which existing elements, such as the dumpling show kitchen, can be accentuated through a thoughtful, layered narrative. Each location uses these elements as a basis for design, but has its own unique narrative to underscore their individuality.
