INKWOOD餐厅是年轻的主厨杨北川开的第一家餐厅，餐厅位于上海番禺路上的上生新所。北川是一个东西文化的混合体，28年的人生时光里，他一半在北京胡同和小屁孩追打嬉戏，一半则切换到北美白人餐厅的厨房间里磨练学习，他好像把东西文化与教育，扳开、揉碎了咽到肚子里，长成了自己。北川无论到了哪里，都喜欢用当地食材，沿着自己的思路，说出如何处理、搭配、烹煮，然后自己感叹：“哇，味道肯定不错”。

Located in Shanghai Columbia Circle, INKWOOD Restaurant & Bar is the first restaurant opened by chef Beichuan Yang. Despite his youth, Beichuan is already a well-known professional who received his training in Canada, where he worked with some of the most renowned chefs in Montreal. Having spent half of his life running through Beijing Hutongs and the other half in the kitchens of western restaurants in North America, Beichuan himself is a mixture of eastern and western cultures, and is passionate about using local ingredients to cook innovative international dishes.

▼入口等待区，waiting area near entrance

八荒设计这次负责INKWOOD餐厅的品牌视觉识别系统（VI）、空间以及软装的整体设计。当北川找到他们的时候，据他说是被他们设计的一款草字头板凳的至简趣味所打动。起初，当北川对自己要开的这家餐厅头头是道时，在两位设计主案Andrea和Shirley看来，却其实非常模糊，也不立体生动。直到后来当他决定将INKWOOD（木墨）作为餐厅名称时，一切才突然都串联了起来：“一则，木，代表了大自然；墨，代表了日常生活。再则，木，代表了食材；墨，代表了能使食材更为出彩的酱汁。”

The firm spent much of the design process discussing brand concept with the client. In Shirley’s words, “the design process is like a collaborative idea molding experience between our client and us.” Eventually, instead of focusing on either of the two elements, Studio8 decided to concentrate on the connection between “INK” and “WOOD”, which they believe is the key concept. The unexpected juxtaposition of the two elements mirrors the series of complex and fascinating associations that Beichuan applies to his cuisine. At INKWOOD, the chef wishes to provide customers with an experience that breaks their daily routine. Both the space and the menu are set up in ways to bring people together, as Beichuan believes that food is also about socializing, and for this reason, all the dishes are made to be shared.

▼平面图，一条黄铜带从入口向内延伸，指向北川工作着的厨房，plan, a brass stripe extends inward from the entrance, pointing to the kitchen where Beichuan works

一走进INKWOOD餐厅，地面上就有一条黄铜和光线一起向正面的厨房窗口延伸，指向餐厅最重要的核心，北川工作着的厨房。整个餐厅一米二高度以下都是主VI的墨绿色护墙板，仿佛整个餐厅都浸没在墨汁中，只在正对入口的厨房窗口以及窗边的位置拉伸起两个带着壁龛的墨绿盒子，强调盒子框出的视觉中心。一米二以上的墙面采用芥黄的粗糙材质，吸收和反射光线，使整个用餐环境变得更为温暖柔和。精心挑选和定制的饰品看似随意的搁在一米二的腰线平台上。剩余的区域线条简洁，仅仅用色彩、体块和材质的拼接来体现木和墨的主题与细节。

At the entrance, a brass stripe with a parallel LED light on the floor extends to the kitchen window, pointing to the core of the restaurant – the kitchen that Beichuan works in. The designers chose dark green boiserie for the bottom 1.2 meter of all the walls in the space, making the entire restaurant appear to be soaked in dark green ink. Only two blocks of the boiserie rise towards the ceiling, visually framing the kitchen window and two brown niches. The rest of the walls are mustard yellow and finished with rough texture that absorbs and reflects light, creating a warm and soft dining ambiance. Carefully selected custom-made accessories and paintings are casually placed on the 1.2 meter waistline, leaving the rest of the space minimal.

▼前台，reception

▼用餐区，restaurant area

▼高分享桌，High communal table

▼分享长桌，Communal table

▼窗边的壁龛及装饰，niche near window with accessories

▼壁龛细部，niche details

在INKWOOD，给很多人留下印象最深刻的是餐厅的用色。Andrea说，“木、墨和酱汁的色彩让我想到了意大利画家Giorgio Morandi的配色，我想要让INKWOOD的用餐者们感受到木与墨的浓重和温度，同时在视觉层面上‘品尝’到酱汁和食材在一起冲撞、对比和融合的味道。”

For many people, the first impression of INKWOOD Restaurant is the color combinations. Andrea says, “The colors of wood, ink and sauce remind me of the color scheme often used by Italian painter Giorgio Morandi. I want guests to feel the intensity and temperature of wood and ink, and to ‘taste’ the sauce and ingredients with their eyes first.”

▼墙面细部，wall details

▼定制壁灯及色彩及配饰，Custom-made wall lamp accessories and colors

▼灯具细节，lamp details

整个餐厅有各种不同的座位配置，适合不同的用餐人数的顾客，最值得一提的是厨房窗口前的“主厨的餐桌”。高桌的设计能让坐在这个桌子上的客人视平线与厨房内工作着的厨师们的视平线同高，透过窗口摆放的北川和合伙人最爱的烹饪书籍，可以观摩烹饪的全过程。餐厅的餐具、软装甚至花艺也延续了INKWOOD的VI配色和空间设计的整体风格，述说食物的层次和情感化学作用，如同北川的糖葫芦，解构的软糯山楂和焦香的蜂巢搭配一勺奶油撒上些糯米纸，是东西文化的交融，是北京童年的记忆，也是北川的缩影。

There is a variety of seatings that allow different groups of customers to find a space that suits them. One of the highlights is the “chef’s table” across from the kitchen window. The high communal table allows guests to be at the same height as the chefs working in the kitchen, and to be able to observe the entire cooking process through the window, below which Beichuan and his partners placed their favorite cookbooks. The restaurant’s cutlery, accessories and even flower arrangements continue the overall style of INKWOOD’s visual design, like the chemistry created by food and sauce, delicate, warm and many-layered.

▼主厨的餐桌，Chef’s table

▼主厨的餐桌细部，Chef’s table details

在空间中，设计师并不想用太多的曲线来分散客人对食物的关注，因此在餐厅的空间设计中，木与墨的表现只剩下了色彩和材质的变化，地面、墙面、家具、转角、各种订制灯具中，凸出的是那笔金黄色的连接以及不同材质所表现出的精致细节。同样的，在VI的平面设计中，墨的表现是灵动的，是一系列流动的色彩泡泡；而主logo则用一条简单而肯定的金黄色笔划，连接起互相镜像的“INK”和“WOOD”字样。

In the visual design, a series of flowing color bubbles are used to represent “INK”; while in the main logo, the mirrored writing of “INK” and “WOOD” are simply connected by a well-defined golden stroke. The designers didn’t want to use too many curves in the space to distract customers’ attention from food. Therefore, interesting color and material combinations are used in the space to express the concept of “INK” and “WOOD”, highlighting that stroke of symbiosis in the form of a brass stripe, which is on the floor, the wall, and the furniture, as well as in the custom-made light fixtures.

▼餐厅logo，the main logo

▼VI设计产品，VI design products

在设计过程中，八荒设计与餐厅的创始团队长时间一起讨论概念，用Shirley的话来说，“每个新品牌VI和空间整体设计的过程，都是一个长时间与客户互相感染和洗脑的过程。”最终，两位主案决定不把着眼点放在“木”或“墨”任何一个具象的元素上，而是放在他们之间的联系上，因为他们认为“木”或“墨”之间的那笔连接才是INKWOOD餐厅最重要的精神。两个看似无关的并列元素结合所创造出的迷人联系和平衡，就像对大自然的热爱如何与日常生活融合，食材如何与酱汁相辅相成，餐厅里就餐的人与人之间如何分享互动，以及餐厅灵魂人物——杨北川如何用各种食材配搭创作美味。

Studio8 was commissioned for brand visual identity, interior design and soft decoration of this new hotspot in the city’s food scene. Beichuan approached Studio8 because he was attracted by the simplicity and playfulness of the Caozitou bench that the firm designed. When he described his future restaurant to the designers Andrea and Shirley, the concept was not very clear and vivid until Beichuan decided on the name INKWOOD. “On one hand, wood represents nature and ink represents constant daily routine; on the other hand, wood represents the ingredients and ink represents the sauces that make ingredients more flavorful.” Studio8 was challenged to reflect Beichuan’s mindset and build a brand image that translates the chef’s ideas into visuals.

▼立面图，elevation