Jamjar Diner, Bandra - Design intent and Publisher notes
1. Design Inspiration.
The original Jamjar was conceived as a neighbourhood joint, serving contemporary comfort food. We had conjured up a fictional grandmother opening her sweet little cottage to serve people her best sellers. As a stereotypical perception of grandparents, the natural hoarders that they are, she had decided to stack the walls with her old furniture, choosing not to throw them away; and to make space for her guests instead. This was something we had worked on 5 years ago.
Keeping with this, and advancing the storyline; the grandmother, buoyed by the success of her first little venture, travelled the world seeking out hobbies and collecting new recipes from her jaunts.
This back story inspired us in creating Jamjar Bandra.
2. Design Concept
Jamjar has always been about an intangible feeling of goodness, almost like the warmth of a comforting hug. Largely, a reflection of the people who run the place. We felt these immeasurable qualities can be expressed through openness, authenticity and light; which we unanimously decided to bring into the space as well; while also specifically addressing time and the neighbourhood.
The neighbourhood, Bandra, is known to be a melting pot, having it's own flavour and vibe. We drew inspiration from various elements which make Bandra unique, translating them into a wholesome concept that make up this place.
3. What is unique in the space.
This space is a labour of love and patience, where every element has been carefully considered and crafted keeping in mind the story, the place and most importantly the diners experience. What brings all elements together to make it one however, is that it is a celebration of craft and skill. The furniture, lights, tableware, flooring and wall finishes are all designed and custom-made specifically for Jamjar Bandra.
4. What is the theme ?
The coming together of two narratives - something refreshing and new, yet having classic influences - was the cohesive thematic behind Jamjar, Bandra. We at OCD have coined it, the 'Happy Deco'.
We harkened Bandra flavours by way of bringing in the verandah and the experience of being roofed beneath an old wooded ceiling. Both evoking an old world, local charm which contrasts with the youthful vibrancy of the bright, glossy walls. Old-school robust carpentry, art-deco references and eclectic details weave the two tales together, creating a crafted experience, a warm and comforting place to enjoy a great meal.
5. How is the space segregated? Each area in detail.
Spread across approximately 1500 sqft, the journey through Jamjar Bandra takes one up to a lobby from the spacious ground floor via a narrow flight of stairs.
On entering the restaurant, the area is fundamentally split into two parts; the dive space, which includes the bar, and the main dining space. Both these parts are characterised by lofty ceilings, sloped in diverse directions; and further differentiated by precariously stacked boxes, containing baked goodies, books and found objects.
The dive space is essentially an oblong space, defined by a singular, sturdy high ledge-table built in solid wood, that ties the space together with the bar and its attached verandah. Casually strewn ebony coloured bar stools complement the ledge tables, which can accommodate smaller groups of diners in the dive space or even comfortably cater to the people dining by themselves in the verandah.
Diners in the dive space can catch reflections of the dining space via a large deco mirror or watch the Bandra world go by through the blue and yellow stained glass windows in the bar verandah. The hero of the dive space is the classic rocket jukebox, whose presence against a accentuated painted arch and tunes contribute to the unhinged, relaxed vibe of Jamjar.
The dining space is further divided spatially in three levels; which we call ‘the floor’, ‘the deck’ and ‘the loft’; which pack in diverse dining experiences. ‘The floor’ accommodates three six-seater booths along with three intimate two-seater tables, ‘the deck’ contains more traditional, small table seating, complementing ‘the loft’s’ two large communal tables.
This diversity was made possible by maximizing the volume of space available beneath the existing roof. We lifted the community dining experience in the centre of the space, as close to the ceiling as possible; which allowed us to tuck in the two-seater tables underneath the loft, lending a sense of intimacy to the booth by playing with the scale of the space.
The seating arrangement within the dining space was planned in a way that every diner in the restaurant has a different view; some see the street through tinted windows, some sit closer to a view of the sky and treetops from the skylight, some have indirect views of the restaurant via reflections in faceted mirrors; each leading to a sense of discovery every time one visits.
Outside the main restaurant space, diners can trudge up to a cozy ‘attic’ which seats around 6 people in a space washed with sublime colours and a low ceiling.
The toilet, conceptualized to be the garden outhouse, is connected to the main restaurant space via a bright semi-open verandah which doubles as a smoking-area, looking out onto an overgrown hidden pocket of green in an otherwise dense neighbourhood.
6. Elaborate on the ceilings, wall treatments, flooring and seating options?
We made minimal alterations to the existing ceiling above the main dining space. Its slender wooden battens were painted white in contrast with its heavy wooden rafters, which were polished to reveal its
original rustic character. We introduced two large skylights in between these rafters on either side of the loft, allowing daylight to stream into the space, while also giving the diners a glimpse of Bandra’s tree tops from vantage points in the dining space.
The ceiling above the dive space and the bar verandah emulates the batten-rafter system of the dining space, but has been kept white to have a relatively muted appearance.
We also retained the shahbad stone flooring in the space whose natural colour variation pays a subtle compliment to the busy interior.
The external walls which face the street were treated entirely with a series of solid-wood windows that borrow their proportion from our study of old Bandra homes. The window frames are painted white, and hold a combination of clear, textured and coloured glass. The glass gives the diners myriad tinted hues of the street outside, while also helping the internal walls catch dynamic reflections of movement on the street.
Towards the dining space, the original wrought iron railing has been retained, above which we added a layer of linear stained glass windows, crafted meticulously by Cyrus Jassawalla & Jaishree Karani. The stained glass bears a happy-deco pattern in colours that sync with the interior spaces.
Before beginning any interior wall treatments, we stripped away all the years of renovations to expose the bare skin of the original walls. We then treated the walls with the largest heights with a chippedplaster pattern in a diamond lattice grid, mimicking old-fashioned wallpaper prints.
The ‘floor level’ of the dining space, facing the external windows were treated with vertical wooden flutes upto the height of the table; its language breaking into a wooden polished stripe in the dive area that ties it together with the ledge table.
At the deck, a horizontal band of mirrors above the seats, in a round edged wooden frame define the junction between the wooden flutes and vertical wooden posts that reach out to meet the ceiling, evoking a sense of weight and materiality. The mirror helps bring the ‘outside inside’ - providing diners with surprising reflections.
A similar system of rounded edged frames, holding a textured coir panel, that we called ‘goosebumps’ treat the walls on the ground and first floor lobbies. Their heaviness contrasts again with a lightweight intricate woven metal mesh, that wraps around the lift core, reminiscent of crochet tablecloths that adorned many of our grandmother’s homes.
The crafted, nearly meditative process of the weave, was a concept that we pulled into the seats of the dining space as well. Anu Tandon and her team at the Retyrement Plan knitted the six seater booth seats around a lightweight metal frame. In a contrasting colour, the weave also extends itself as a protective edge for the loft.
The intimate two-seater booth is made to be sturdy and solid, painted in a delicate complementary colour.
Ebony loose seats with delicate curved edges and circular leg details are pitted against a solid, painted wooden bench that runs the length of the wall on the deck level. While climbing up to the loft,
diners experience sitting on top of hoarded chests of drawers, cupboards and cabinets, resting against a wooden or weaved backrest on either side.
The language and proportion of the wall panels was continued up to the attic space, where a large floppy low cushioned seater, along with the ebony chairs seat a group of six to eight.
The out-house toilet with its barn-styled door reveals walls that are treated with a slender wooden lattice, having the same proportion of the diamond chipped wall. The lattice is balanced with the floor and the moulded basin which is made in chipped mosaic of a muted gray tone. A circular pivoted mirror reflects the lattice, but also potentially reveals a peek at the overgrown, neighbouring green space.
7. Elaborate on the lightings used in the space.
Lighting at Jamjar, like in any other dining experience, plays an important role. Broadly differentiated into general lighting, mood lighting and task lighting. The prominent custom-designed fixtures of the space come under the categories of mood lighting and task lighting.
One enters Jamjar invited by an art deco chandelier, which we call the 'talkie'. Its shades, handmade in germany around the 50’s, hang from unique brass arms whose design is inspired by the golden age of cinema and the grand interiors of the talkies.
As one climbs the first flight of stairs, one finds the 'night crawler'; a wall washer made from a single 2 inch brass pipe, throwing light downwards and upwards to accentuate the features on the wall. A minimal slit is introduced in its centre to add character to the light piece, a detail inspired from light fixtures of the 60's.
The dive space attached to the bar is sliced by two wooden slender beams strategically placed in continuation with the wooden wall treatment. These beams are used to light the space, to break the large sloped roof volume and eventually to define the viewing window of the bar. The lights downward throw has multiple functions; it highlights the mirror and the main door entrance, it provides specific lighting for the bar table and also provides enough functional light to the rest of the dive space. Its upward throw is to indirectly light the dive space and more importantly to create drama with the play of shadows in between rafters of the ceiling.
A series of art deco inspired lamps that we call 'down town' hang above the tables throughout the restaurant. Delicate curved brass arms that complement the arched elements seen in doors and windows, light the room with a glow from hand blown glass globes. These globes, in complementing green, white and pink colors, are atleast half a century old.
The 'light saber', is a custom designed light piece made from a single 1 inch brass pipe with two minimal slits, the larger of which throws light upwards for indirect lighting and the shorter of which lights the table. Since the tables are flexible to join for larger gatherings, the fixtures are pivoted to move with the table, activating the ceiling with a beautiful play of shadows.
Above the two community tables hangs the 'commune', a long light piece made from a single brass pipe. It breaks the scale of the table with its size and hangs low to help create intimacy in a large space. The light is meant to be sharp and focused on the table, which brings the gathering of 8 together.
8. Detail about the colour and material palette.
Paint in Jamjar Bandra plays a powerful role. The medium is used to define space and volume, to accentuate elements and to dance with light.
We have been inspired by the bold colors of Bandra’s Portuguese homes but the color tones have been customised to fit the space and the OCD coined 'happy deco' theme. We have mixed and matched the colors carefully to make sure there is harmony and poetry in the chaos of colors. The sheer number of colors is meant to jolt the diner's senses at first glance. The nuances of the paint and polish finishes can only be appreciated as one spends more time in a particular space.
The paint colors are mainly from a pastel palette, broken with neutral shades of greys and whites. Tones of wood are naturally polished without any color additives and is used to mellow down the otherwise colorful space. Gloss paint over matte paint has been used ingeniously to make the walls come alive with the play of light. The hidden arrows on certain walls seem to move with your eyes.
In wood, the combination of red and yellow cedar are used to highlight joinery and break continuity of a mass. A continuing theme is the use of two tones, which can be observed primarily at the bar and and at the tables on the deck; alongside a medley of complementing wood tones.
Stained glass has been custom designed by OCD and crafted by a veteran with over three decades of experience. Integrated into the doors and windows, the stained glass turns even light into a medium of colour as it pours through the glass into the space. A considerable amount of time has been spent to choose and make a precise tone of glass color which will complement the other colors used in the space.
Plants are used to introduce freshness. We perceive freshness to be a color and so the indoor plants used are primarily of the leafy variety. The deeper green leaf tones also help in grounding the 'happy deco' pastel palette.
09. The bar area, elements used that we would like to highlight
The space beneath the bar area’s high ceiling is broken by a wooden beam bearing light, which along with its warm wooded setting recalls the coziness befitting Jamjar’s vibe. The bar cabinetry in wood and goosebump-panels is divided into box-like compartments that light the glassware and bottles from below and are trimmed with brass details. The cabinetry is integrated with an old sourced pendulum clock, that is the highlight of the bar area. The crown of the cabinet breaks into a niche, where an old-school TV lends the space a classic ambience.
10. A little about us and our roles
Raja Arjun is an internationally recognised architect who has worked across Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Melbourne, Tokyo and Barcelona. He believes in cross pollination of ideas and the importance of multidisciplinary creation which has led him to work on a diverse portfolio of design practices.
Akshara Verma has worked over the years in Colombo, Mumbai & Rotterdam spanning architecture, installation design, graphics, journalism and media-studies.
OCD – Office of Cognitive Design founded by Ar. Raja Arjun, is an award-winning global design firm practicing design thinking to help organisations innovate and grow specializing in Architecture, Interior design, Brand strategies and Product Design along with Build solutions. With over 50 collaborators across 5 countries, OCD is a multidisciplinary studio, focusing on Retail, Hospitality and Office spaces. Its portfolio includes work with international corporates such as GNT, Sony, OSB, Google, VM Ware and MTV to homegrown innovators alike.