#CoverFeature: Sumessh Menon on Mastering the Art of Sensory Design

Sumessh Menon’s plush office in Mumbai is no less than a collector’s den. An understated brown palette forms the backdrop for the eclectic setting. The office is a cornucopia of all things design—from light installations to bespoke sculptures and artworks, each a conversation starter. It is indeed a cabinet of curiosities, but one that is handled with restraint. His studio is a true reflection of his personality—flamboyant yet subtle and measured. Cut to one of his most recent endeavours: A residential project at Jumeirah, Dubai.

Here, you witness yet another version of Menon’s design aesthetic. A monochromatic palette, and an interesting play of lines and curves, this home is the epitome of subtle luxury. But the world knows him for his flamboyant and eclectic style, which comes through in his hospitality projects, a rather vast repertoire that includes projects such as Foo, Yazu, Juliette, Koko, 145 and more. In his own words, he describes his style as experimental, versatile and cutting edge.

“Creative design has intrigued me from the start. From a very early age, I was inclined to detailing, whether it was the clothes I wore or the haversack I carried. This attribute inevitably led me to designing. So, making a career of it was a natural progression for me,” reminisces Menon. Largely, Menon is a self-taught architect. It was a short stint in New York that landed him his first restaurant project.

“Preparation for this industry came only through actual hands-on experience. It was my set of early projects in New York, like Hole in the Wall and Plan B, that became some major landmarks in my design journey,” says Menon who started his professional journey in 2009. For him, design is not just about aesthetics, but also about creating experiences that connect with the users emotionally and intellectually. “Design is a process of imagining possibilities.”

For this cover feature, we travelled with him to his most recent project—a residential project in Jumeirah, Dubai, a city where he is slowly but steadily making his presence felt. For Menon, the journey that started two decades ago with a residential project in Johannesburg has become enriching with multiple projects across the globe. In this interview, he talks about his design journey, his inspiration, and his aspirations.

Here’s an excerpt:

Seema Sreedharan (SS): Over the years, you’ve become synonymous with the hospitality segment. Your portfolio includes some of the most cutting-edge spaces in the country. In fact, from Juliette to Foo, you have perfected the art of restaurant design. Was this a conscious move? Or did it just happen by default? Take us through some of your most interesting projects.

Sumessh Menon (SM): My rendezvous with restaurant design began more than a decade ago with my first restaurant project in New York, Hole in the Wall—a mini restaurant in East Village, Bleaker Street, New York. That was my first big break, and I consider that as a major landmark in my journey through design. From then on, the transition to restaurant design has been inevitable, and there has been no looking back.

My design philosophy has always been simple—aim for ‘wow’. That has never changed over the years. It has always been that one extra step of detailing, that one out-of-the-box idea, that one unique experimental material, that one larger-than-life installation that has always added a personal statement to my designs. Especially when it comes to restaurants, the designer must orchestrate the varying needs of people and provide an energetic space and adequate privacy for those who desire it. And this has worked in my favour. To answer your question, I would say that the shift to restaurant design happened by default.

Travel is my muse. History, culture, trends, technology… I take inspiration from everything to create the perfect solution for my clients. The primary role of restaurant design is to nurture the customers’ palette by creating a tastefully done physical environment that complements the food and dining experience. Any restaurant today is primarily driven by its worldly cuisine, and thus, it becomes the basic framework for the entire design concept. Key elements like lighting design, acoustical design, efficient zoning and functioning of the restaurant must be considered right from the conceptual stage.

Take, for instance, Foo in Bandra. Here, the outdoor dining space poses like a cinematic backdrop with the picturesque cherry blossom tree installation serving as its mascot, a sloped roof installation above and the burgundy tables suspended from the ceiling. Juliette in Andheri is a completely different typology. Here, the approach was a little subtle. From the floor to the ceiling to the installations that adorn the place, there’s a warmth that emanates from the monochromatic colour palette. Instead of playing with colours, we played a lot with textures. The stunning light installation featuring blown glass flower discs was designed in collaboration with Ismail Plumber and lighting designer Prashant Patil. We also collaborated with Goa-based artist Siddharth to create pod art installations for the walls, adding yet another touch of nature to the space.

The exclusivity of each project I work on is our USP. I try to be careful that there is no design overlay between any two projects, and at the same time, deliver seamless design in terms of the smooth functioning of the restaurant while creating new, cutting-edge design concepts. Another project I enjoyed working on was Yazu. The project brief was to create ‘more than just a restaurant’. The design style of the space is ‘earthy’ and ‘biophilic’. This is seen in the texturally layered material palette around the space. Even here, we custom designed a sculptural light crafted in natural wood and jute.
Like I said, each project is unique. And each project has that one, signature aspect.

SS: You are working on a significant number of projects in Dubai and other international destinations. Tell us about your first international project, and the journey from there.
SM: My very first project which was a luxury villa in Johannesburg was something that landed on me impromptu. It will always hold a special place for me because that’s when I learnt the process of customising, thinking out of the box, developing ideas and ways to put together elements of design where nothing would be ready to use but rather made from scratch. That was what made my designs unique. It was challenging and exhilarating at the same time! The two New York restaurant projects came right after that—one was an Indian restaurant and the other was a Spanish tapas bar. Further to that was a luxury villa and a humongous experience centre in Dubai. Currently, there are two residential projects happening in Dubai. My latest international project is a rooftop restaurant in Bangkok.

SS: The Jumeirah project is stunning—with its monochromatic colour palette and clean lines. You also mentioned the other project in La Mer. Tell us more about both.
SM: When the Jumeirah project was handed over to us, it was a very monotonous, straight-lined structure, part of an identical-looking community. What we envisaged for it was a complete makeover into a plush, exotic-looking residential design.

La Mer was, from the beginning, a super luxury project located in a premium neighbourhood. We were fortunate enough that the client had given us a complete freehand in the conceptual design of the space, and we ended up having lots of fun creating unique spatial experiences like a den room, a hidden game room, a glass house, a basement part zone, etc. We incorporated technology into the motorised louvred facade of the entire structural elevation of the large mansion. Sculptural art adorns the home, and biophilic design was also given priority here.
Overall, my residential portfolio has now become a clean set of premium, high-end residential spaces that started in South Africa and Dubai and expanded locally in all premium locations of Mumbai and our recently completed project in Prestige Kingfisher Towers, which happens to be one of the most premium building projects in Bengaluru. We have three more projects ongoing, all in the plush neighbourhood of Lower Parel Lodha World View and Lodha World One.

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