MACAO TRADING CO RESTAURANT - NEW YORK, NY
SCOPE: Full Renovation
SIZE: 4,000 Sq. Ft
CLIENT: Macao Trading Co.
Macao Trading Co., the much anticipated collaboration between Chanterelle's David Waltuck, the team behind Employees Only and I-Beam Design, is located in Tribeca, NY City. On the ground floor is an 82-seat dining room with a mezzanine that evokes"1940's portside warehouse/gambling parlor recalling Macao's red lantern district. The mezzanine is made of rusted steel beams and mesh railings with wood plank catwalk, filled with antiques, running along the back perimeter. The catwalk, accessible only by a ladder, suggests the presence of a pit boss that monitors the games and the guests below.
The dim film noir shadow lighting provides an elegant and shady gambling atmosphere. Light fixtures from recycled antique bicycles, boats and rickshaws
help to create the mood for the 1940's Macao.
To evoke the multicultural Chinese and Portuguese feel of Macao, the space is filled with antiques from old Portuguese tiles to Chinese firecracker packages and cricket cages. Teak lattice screens, salvaged from a 1940's Chinese amusement park in Florida, create intimacy in the center of the dining room while the Spanish metal cast iron work in the form of brackets and ventilation grills define the perimeter booths. Old sailing posters and images of seductive Chinese women of the 40's cover the hallways leading to the "Opium Lounge" below.
Upon entry to the clandestine lounge, there is a built-in shrine filled with symbols of fertility and erotica. The cellar is covered with rusted tin ceiling and teak lattice work on the walls with recessed red lighting behind. Dark tapestry covered ottomans and semi private booths along with deep red wall coverings create a sexy atmosphere devoted to pleasure.
Photos by Peter Miller