Following the successes of the 2014-opened Chinta Kechil Malaysian restaurant, and the closure of owner Simon Goh’s flagship Chinta Ria restaurant, a new site was needed to fill this void.

Interior design and landscape architecture firm Amber Road were approached to create a new Sydney Chinta Ria Dining Room where both Goh’s loyal patrons, and his stoic and gigantic 2x2m Buddha screen, could find a new home

Eventually settling on an old dentist’s premises with an adjunct, disused service alleyway, the Chinta Ria Dining Room integrates with its predecessor, Chinta Kechil, but also stands alone, establishing it own very own identity.

Three key design elements, printed linen panels, timber louvers and the treatment of the alleyway, create this identity. The reclaimed floorboards from a French railway station extend into the dining room and create an instant sense of charm and warmth.

Upon arrival, one is immediately greeted by a dreamlike, green landscape – an image that was printed onto linen panels and subsequently backlit. It is within this landscape that Simon’s large Buddha is nestled.

In a final move to really transport visitors to Asia, Amber Road employed the services of Decreate’s Dave Kaziro ages the alley walls to give the impression of a Malaysia of old. Despite the limited space for plants, a hanging garden presence is evoked through the use of shaved coconut shells. This combined with meticulously detailed and proportioned timber louver work, has the Chinta Ria Dining Room demonstrating a masterful play of inside and out.

Photography
Cole Bennetts

Amber Road
amberroaddesign.com.au