EDMONTON — On a dark, cushy, leather banquette at Hundred Bar, in the sleekly elegant, eastern-infused dining room at Guru, at the casually hip Delux Burger Bar; chances are, if you’re at one of the Edmonton’s best-looking, hottest eateries, you’ve seen Chris K.’s handiwork up close.

Chris Kourouniotis of CK Design Associates is the interior designer of choice for some of the city’s most desirable restaurants and bars, as well as some of its most popular franchises, such as Booster Juice and Press’d.

So who better to ask about what makes a restaurant so cool that it’s hot? Here’s some of what he had to say in a recent interview:

What are Edmontonians looking for when they choose a restaurant?

They want to eat out at some place reputable, some place you can talk about at the water cooler the next day. You want to be like, ‘Hey, you know where I was last night?’

We want to create a space that people want to talk about the next day for sure, or tweet about, or put on their Facebook page.

What do they want to see inside the restaurant?

Comfort. We want it to definitely feel like home. … We’re using a lot more butcher block (for tables) now. Fifty per cent of our restaurants are butcher block, because when you touch it, it’s warm. It’s a woody feel, perfect for this economy.

This economy needs warm — you don’t want people leaving. You want them to possibly have that second beer, because a bad economy has driven food prices down and liquor is the only profit. So we try to keep people longer, and you want to make them feel that they can come back two or three times a week. Why not?

How has the tighter economy of recent years affected people’s restaurant habits?

We found that the casual concepts weathered better, like Delux, like even Original Joe’s. Although people are hurting financially, they still want to go out, but maybe for less of a steak, or they’ll switch it for a burger and a beer instead of a big bottle of wine and a $50 steak.

How does colour psychology affect people’s behaviour in a restaurant or bar?

If you want to sell more liquor than food, say, 60 per cent versus 40 per cent, we tend to darken the colours, provide richer reds and earth tones, with red being the driving flavour, and we have way more millwork and wood in a bar or a heavy liquor space. We really try to warm up the space, because psychology shows that’s what sells the beverages.

What’s the prevailing look of popular restaurants in Edmonton?

It’s West Coast restaurant design, creating a fashion statement with the interiors, and yet having an approachable, casual menu. … Today, everybody wants that formula: very clean, the leather, butcher block, expensive Italian lighting, very large bars, backlit liquor displays, multiple televisions.

Why is it so important to design a comfortable space for people?

I want to provide everyone a two-hour holiday, all-inclusive. I want them to switch off Edmonton for those two hours that they’re there. … You pay to get away. So, fine design quality is important because that’s part of the experience.

Of all the restaurant spaces you’ve designed, which is your favourite?

If I had the opportunity to call it my own, to say it reflects my character — that would be Hundred (Bar and Kitchen). It has the finishes I find most comfortable to me, from the colours to the quality of light, the size, the scale, that’s all Chris K. The washrooms, the bar, the amount of TVs, it’s just, to my mind, it’s what a perfect restaurant in Edmonton should be.

What are some of the newer trends in restaurant design?

What’s popular in New York, just last month, we saw a huge movement to ‘vintage chic.’ It’s not a second-hand restaurant. All the materials are married with something new to create a vintage chic look. It hasn’t been done in Edmonton yet. You know why? Because we don’t have sources for that vintage.

It’s more stage design and less interior design. … Everything from old signage on the walls to a barber chair to an old car hanging. It’s chic — it can’t feel like it’s second-hand but it’s clearly vintage.

How much does the interior of a restaurant affect people’s view of that business?

I think 100 per cent. I think we are being inundated with design culture. Design has become such a huge element — it’s not just clothing anymore. People want a designer car now, they want even their house to be designed inside out, they want their restaurant to make a statement. … I mean, your suitcase has a design now. It used to be just a thing you throw your clothes in and fly with.

I think the savvy has grown from fashion, like a tsunami. It’s taken over — everything we do is design.

mgold@edmontonjournal.com

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