RAMA 9 restaurant, ST ANDREWS

COLOUR, CHARACTER AND THE VITALITY OF STREET FOOD

An informal Thai buffet restaurant within the basement of a Georgian tenement in St Andrews. The brief was to capture the colour and vitality of street food in Thailand and Malaysia, creating a relaxed, sociable dining experience.

Research visits to Bangkok and Ipoh informed the concept, with furniture, crockery and decorations sourced in Bangkok’s markets. Rich purple walls, yellow pendants, carved panels and full-height portraits of King Rama IX give the interior its identity, balanced by warm timber panelling and upholstered seating.

LOCATION

St Andrews, Scotland

BUILDING

Basement of a Georgian tenement

PROJECT TYPE

Restaurant refurbishment

SERVICES

Interior design, furniture, lighting and decorative sourcing

Full-height mural of a young King Rama IX wearing sunglasses beside timber dining tables

COMPLETED DESIGN

Upholstered banquette beneath reclaimed timber panelling, purple walls and carved panels with yellow pendant lights

Portrait mural of King Rama IX overlooking tables and diners at Rama 9 restaurant

Reclaimed timber panelling and upholstered banquette seating bring warmth to the dining room. Yellow pendants, purple walls and carved decorative panels introduce the colour and character central to the brief.

research & sourcing

Research trips with the client took us through the street-food stalls and dining halls of Bangkok and Ipoh. Their colour, variety and informal atmosphere informed the restaurant’s concept. In Bangkok’s markets, we sourced furniture, crockery and decorations to bring that character into the finished space.

Busy food hall in Ipoh, Malaysia, with specialist food stalls and communal seating

Baskets of plates and bowls at a Bangkok market visited to source restaurant crockery

Communal dining in Ipoh, Malaysia.

Sourcing crockery in Bangkok’s markets.

Food stall in Ipoh displaying trays of skewered ingredients and sauces

The colour and variety of street food in Ipoh.

Timber tables and black chairs beneath exposed ceiling beams and warm filament bulbs, with diners seated

Three blue-and-white patterned ceramic basins beneath black carved mirrors against white tiled walls

"Mike has designed several succesfull restaurants for me. He's become a good friend. We even travelled to my home town of Ipoh in Malaysia together to source the most authentic furniture for my restaurant."

Michael Chan

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