Aubergine Restaurant

Materials used in the women's room symbolically evoke a sense of masculinity - blue resin (tie), walnut plank (pant), and white tile (shirt).

Project Details

• Project Name: Aubergine Restaurant
• Client: Aubergine San Diego
• Project Type: Restaurant
• Principal Designer/s: Aaron Anderson
• Design Team: Aaron Anderson, Brian Vincent, Lindsay Bresser
• Date of commencement of project: January 05
• Date of completion of project: February 06
• Location of site: San Diego

Words from the designer

Located in a renovated 1940's auto repair shop currently operating as a restaurant & lounge, these two distinct spaces invert typical gender representations in social architecture.

In the women's room a man's suit metaphorically represents "masculinity". Three primary materials -- blue resin (tie), walnut plank (pant), and white tile (shirt) -- delineate three zones for washing, waiting, and grooming. Sculptural elements soften the distinct lines of the primary materials and increase user interaction. Components include a cluster of linear magnified car mirrors at the make-up counter, flower vases (boutonniere) strapped to steel plates, and an LCD monitor linked to a camera in the men's room. The camera shows activity at the men's lavatory sink allowing women to watch the men as they groom.

In the men's room the camera stares in a constant scrutinizing gaze. The architecture emasculates by blurring privacy boundaries. Mirrors at urinals are placed at hip height and drink rails are positioned to spur interference of personal space.

"Femininity" in the men's room is represented with vibrant color and supple materials. Multi-colored lights shine on acrylic inserted into walls creating dramatic effects. In the stalls semi-transparent resin screens replace rigid partition walls and clustered light fixtures amplify shadows. A repeating image of the building's historical crest adds texture and pattern.

By bending usual gender representations, the spaces become a catalyst for play and conversation.

Credits

• Text and Images, courtesy of Studio: Anderson
• Compiled and Edited by Varun M. Ajani