Rockwell Group’s LAB studio designed 3D projection mapping technology that makes waterfalls appear to flow down the statue, its eyes seem to’blink,’ or tattoos trace magically along its many arms. A 16-foot-long reclining Buddha rests within the restaurant bar on the mezzanine level, and at the opposite end, a 20-foot-tall Quan Yin Buddha with 24 outstretched arms stands above a koi pond on the cellar level. True to the TAO brand, the space is bookended by custom-made Buddha sculptures.
TAO DOWNTOWN NEW YORK MOVIE
The stair can transform into a runway for fashion shows or serve as bleachers for movie screenings. “We wanted to create a restaurant that was about encouraging social interaction-it’s less about planting yourself at your table, and more about getting up and moving around,” Sullivan says. Made of wood, the stair has deep landings with rounded custom banquettes along the edges and tables and bench seats positioned at the center for prime people watching. The focal point of the voluminous space is the 40-foot-long grand stair. The old brick basement walls were revealed and layered with Chinese calligraphy by Studio Hoon Kim and murals of geisha-style women by UK–based street artist HUSH.Īfter reaching the hostess station, patrons turn right and enter the restaurant bar on the mezzanine level and experience a “wow moment,” according to Shawn Sullivan, a partner with Rockwell Group, as they take in the view of the entire length of the restaurant, down into the main dining room on the cellar level. This move also allowed for a dramatic entry procession that begins with coat check and extends down a long passageway framed by portals made from weathered wood slats. The space it occupies had previously contained a restaurant and a music venue, and Rockwell Group chose to relocate the entrance from 16th Street to Ninth Avenue to differentiate TAO from those former establishments. The 22,000-square-foot restaurant-which spans an entire city block and seats up to 400 throughout-is mostly below grade. “Our mantra for TAO Downtown was’next level shit.'” “We knew that we had to reinvent ourselves due to the fact that we were opening a second location in New York and because the original design, while timeless, was conceived such a long time ago,” says Rich Wolf, co-owner of TAO Group.
Capitalizing on the brand’s success, the restaurant and nightclub group engaged Rockwell Group to design TAO Downtown in the lower levels of the Maritime Hotel in the Chelsea neighborhood near the Meatpacking District in New York.Īlthough Rockwell Group did not design either of the previous TAO locations, TAO Group had established a relationship with the firm while collaborating on the Marquee Nightclub at the Cosmopolitan Resort in Las Vegas and could count on it to deliver a standout interior. TAO Group pioneered the Pan-Asian cuisine trend in 2000 when it opened TAO in Midtown Manhattan, followed by a Las Vegas location.
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