Anto | DESFA GROUP INC. | World Design Awards 2023

DESFA GROUP INC.: Winner of World Design Awards 2023. ANTO 58 Project is a prestigious Korean steakhouse located at the heart of the bustling Upper East Side in New York City. It’s part of the Antoya family of brands and boasts a stunning design concept crafted by the renowned DESFA GROUP. This project aims to seamlessly blend the rich tapestry of Eastern and Western cultures, offering visitors an immersive journey into the world of Korean cuisine.

DESFA GROUP has taken a meticulous and contemporary design approach, drawing inspiration from various aspects of Korean culture to shape the project. This fusion of tradition and modernity is intricately woven throughout the restaurant’s distinct dining spaces, creating a captivating narrative for guests. Let’s delve into the details of this remarkable establishment:

  1. Spatial Planning: The restaurant’s layout is a testament to thoughtful design. It encompasses a range of dining scenes, including a chic cocktail bar, an inviting opening seating area, semi-private dining booths, an exclusive “Chef’s table” experience, and a private room tucked away on the second level.
  2. Interior Design: The restaurant’s interior features a dominant theme of rusted panels, skillfully combined with solid wood and brass elements. This combination creates a visually rich and intense backdrop, all within the realm of minimalist design. Subtle touches of bright colors are artfully integrated into the subdued color palette through carefully positioned lighting and artwork, enhancing the overall visual experience.
  3. Natural Light Challenge: The restaurant’s narrow and elongated floor plan, reminiscent of traditional New York architecture, posed a challenge for natural daylighting. However, the designers ingeniously transformed existing skylights into a central network of light, carefully orchestrating lighting design to ensure a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere.
  4. Luxurious Entrance: As guests step inside, they are greeted by a gracefully curved bar counter fashioned from rustic metal and tiles. This design choice exudes luxury and, combined with a solid wood frame structure and light-brown mirrors, creates a sense of spatial expansion, defying the limitations of the physical space.
  5. Cultural Embellishments: Moving deeper into the restaurant, a wall adorned with translucent panels reminiscent of Xuan paper simulates natural light from windows. This adds cultural elements to the booth design, creating a captivating and hazy eastern aesthetic.
  6. Artistic Accents: The concept continues with an array of artworks in diverse forms and styles. Highlights include an art installation featuring Hibiscus flowers with an infinity lighting effect alongside a wine storage wall. A model of the Korean “Turtle ship” anchors the arrival on the second floor, and a large wall in the open dining space is adorned with BOJAGI, a representative of traditional Korean handicrafts made from different shades of color fabrics. These elements collectively contribute to the restaurant’s captivating ambiance.

ANTO was conceived as more than just a dining space; it embodies the spirit of offering world-class Korean cuisine while weaving together diverse cultural threads. In the intersection of tradition and modernity, Anto achieves a harmonious fusion of form and essence. It all begins with a bowl and a spoon, but transcends into a holistic experience. DESFA GROUP’s ultimate aim is to provide guests with a fulfilling mind and body experience that will leave an indelible impression.

Project Details
Firm
DESFA GROUP INC.

Designer
Howard J. Wang and Michael Dungca

Project Name
Anto

World Design Awards Category
Restaurant and Bar Interior Built

Project Location
New York, America

Team
Bruce Li, Leon Li

Country
China

Photography ©Credit
©David Mitchell, DESFA GROUP INC.

Founded in New York, Desfa Group is an international architecture practice that offers architectural and interior design solutions worldwide. With a careful attention to details, we serve clients with outstanding creativity, rigorous design and complete services.

In 2010, Desfa opened a new office in leading developed city Shanghai in Asia. We have a group of domestic and foreign professionals that work closely as a team and draw on our unique, lasting experience in designing, managing and developing projects. Our diverse global experience and backgrounds give us the ability to connect across different cultural boundaries, and introduce new ideas that were once not imaginable. So far, we’ve completed numerous projects both at home and abroad, and have provided architecture, interior and furniture design solutions for a wide range of clients including developers, international brands and high-class individuals.