John Anthony is a contemporary dim sum restaurant located in Hong Kong. The story behind the new initative by Maximal Concepts is drawn from historical figure John Anthony, who was the first Chinese man to be naturalised as a British citizen in 1805.
Anthony, an employee of the East India Company, embarked on the voyage, arriving in Limehouse - the East End docklands of London. There his job was to ensure lodgings and food for arriving Chinese sailors. He became the father of Limehouse's Chinatown.
The design for the restaurant used Anthony's journey for inspiration, exploring the fusion of architectural styles and materiality between East and West, as well as colonial architecture blurred with eastern detailing, to create a British tea hall turned Chinese canteen.
The main dining hall in the restaurant is an interpretation of the storehouses in the docklands, whilst the modern vaulted space plays on verticality and lightness. The space has a sense of whimsy with circular canopy columns in a dusty pink lacquer and white metal arches.
Linehouse explored the materials John Anthony would have encountered on his journey: hand glazed tiles, natural and racked renders, terracotta, hand dyed fabrics and hand woven wickers. At the heart of the venue is Maximal Concepts’ sustainable message, woven into every aspect of the interior and operations.
From upcycling wasted plastic and paper into coasters and menus, to tiling floors with reclaimed terracotta tiles sourced from abandoned houses in rural China and using highly sustainable rattan, every element incorporates an eco-friendly or ethical initiative.
Established in 2013 by Alex Mox (Chinese-Swedish) and Briar Hickling (New Zealand), Linehouse is an architecture and interior design practice and operate as a platform to invesigate how daily moments can be celebrated through design. The practice has international experience in design and construction, from the small scale and the intricate, to the grand and public. To find out more, click here.
The World Interiors News Awards showcase the best international design in both current and future projects. Entries for the 2019 Awards are now open - for further information and to submit your entry please click here.