The evolution of a popular Papanui dining and conference destination required a careful balance of ‘here and now’ style and enduring construction for the years ahead.
Erin Brookman of Brookman Design was tasked with creating a sophisticated and unique look for the new Fig Restaurant on Papanui Road.
Durability was a key aspect of the design brief. “I wanted to make sure the new furniture would last a long time,” says Erin. “The hotel had previously redecorated but hadn’t really made the right level of investment. Which meant that after just a few years of use they had to replace the furniture.”
While the restaurant is a destination in itself, its location at the Quality Hotel Elms also meant the various dining areas needed to be quickly and easily moved for the arrival of larger groups and conferences.
“The chairs needed to be comfortable but compact,” says Erin. “The hotel quite often moves things around so everything needed to be as portable and practical as possible.”
Erin chose twelve Roma chairs to form the backbone of comfort seating for the restaurant.
“I also wanted to keep it local,” she says. “This was as much a pragmatic decision as it was one of supporting the Christchurch community. Being able to test different models pre-purchase was a huge help.”
With the tight timeframe of the project the Christchurch interior designer was impressed with the support from Kovacs, stating that, “Sam and the team were always very helpful.”
While Erin now has her eye on “a few finishing touches” for Fig she says the additional decorative elements are something everyone is looking forward to in 2017. In the meantime she’s staying busy with various other projects, and is looking forward to working with Kovacs again in the future.