If you googled ‘food-joints’, standing near KIIT Square in Bhubaneswar, you can quite literally see the mushrooming effect come into play. The screen pops up with blue dots radiating from the centre of the screen to its edges. That’s what the locals dub as the ‘KIIT effect’. In the recent years, with the increase in the number of students in this university, there has been a proportionate increase in the demand for quality of life. Remember the curve of Marginal Propensity to Consume in Economics? Well, this has somewhat opposed that curve.
To satiate the hunger and ever-growing appetite of the young population, this vicinity has seen emergence of new trend of eateries; not bound by traditional norms of restaurants or street food. The fusion of the two requires an atmosphere to communicate the same to the demographic. At a time when Quick Service Restaurants i.e. QSRs are taking up the brunt of the demand of appetite, to carve a niche in the appeal requires both creativity in marketing and aesthetics in designing.
As far as aesthetics in designing is concerned, the scope of creativity is boundless in ideal conditions. But in pragmatic terms, the first and the main hindrance is the lack of resources or more properly put the difference between the dream vision and the ground reality. The roadblock is overcome with the liaison of the designing team.
Well, amongst the hundreds of mushrooms in the vicinity described before, one that stands out is the restaurant ‘Hunger Station’. Since, its inception in late 2017 it has somehow managed to stave off the competition at proximity. Keeping its rivals at bay, it has somehow created a loyal base of customers with the demographic dividend.
As you ascend the second floor of the building, a queer bicycle rests on the wall at an incline. The wheels of the same are decorated with tiny fluorescent yellow bulbs. The tube frame in the middle is done in the same way with neon blue lights. The idea of a bicycle at the entrance tries to blend in the factor of accessibility into the ambience of the place.
Upon entering you will come across a trapezium shaped counter. The billing desk is hollow at the front and is flanked by thick bezel designs on the top and the two lateral sides. The void at the front of the desk creates an impression of more space (though quite minimal). Behind the counter is a ‘Burger King’ crown palette with the name ‘Hunger Station’ in the middle.
The walls have been decorated with abstract paintings like the ones that can be seen in the picture here. The minimalist paintings i.e, a wine bottle, a maple leaf and a wine glass, are all done with a white background and only the color blue. The colors and shades of white and blue are a repeated theme throughout the designs and décor of the entire place. The walls of the same are designed with rock tile textures with light and dark shades of brown
The ceiling is adorned with a glass chandelier which has been impeccably placed amidst an oasis of black and white nonfigurative painting. The corners of the rectangular uprising
Besides the glass door to the left on the wall is a huge web blueprint sprawling from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. Beyond this on the opposite side the wall is furnished with wood in the shade of congruency of the floor below. Resting furniture include bean bags to drive home the base idea of blend of unceremonious and comfort into the picture.
One of the most visual distinctions at the far end of the laterals is the silhouetted human decal. One of the major challenges in such a theme is to create a design that resonates both the aesthetics and ambience, and maintains the congruency in the theme. Here, the same is depicted through this decal on the otherwise plain wall at the far end. The subtle distinction between the colour of the furniture and the wall behind it is projected through this art.
