A Filipino Interpretation of Modernist Architecture Unlike the rest of Makati today, the northern end of Paseo de Roxas in Makati is anchored by a low complex rather than a tall skyscraper. This is the elegant Asian Institute of Management, designed by architect Gabriel Formoso and completed in 1971. In my opinion, the building is […]
Fireplace by Bedrock: Fire and Flavor in a Nature-Inspired Restaurant
The menu is what usually makes a food business a gastronomic hotspot. But beyond food, this culinary destination comes alive from a flicker of inspiration. Located in One Holland Village, Singapore, The Fireplace offers a burst of char flavor enhanced by its cozy interior. Embodying Bedrock’s philosophy, this newly-opened wood-fire grill restaurant exudes a classic, nature-oriented twist.
The Sparks That Ignited the Fire
It all began from Argentina’s Quebracho Tree. Typically fuelling Asado woodfired ovens, this wood species served as the inspiration behind the restaurant’s design.
Hot Design Folks (HDF), a Singaporean-based interior design studio, made the 225 square meter space look like it was carved inside a tree trunk. Evident in walls to color palette, Fireplace perfectly mimics the robust tree’s defined characteristics, achieving a warm monochromatic interior. The studio had the wall finishes custom-made by Clayworks, a London-based interior surface finish expert.
Sticking to its Argentinian influences, HDF also took Asado grilling as Fireplace’s other main theme. At its core, this method is about open-fire parrilla cooking, but has since evolved into a social gathering. Adopting that idea, the studio infused it in the restaurant’s grill-like layout and intense cooking theatrics.
As an extension of award-winning bar and grill restaurant Bedrock, Fireplace maintains their reputation through a multi-sensory dining experience. From the taste and aroma of a perfected fire-kissed menu, to the crackling fire and sizzle of the grill and visually pleasing interiors. It all engages the senses through the culinary arts.
Spaces Curated to Perfection
Fireplace greets customers with a greenery-laden terrace allotting 34 shaded seats for a more cookout feel. Upon entrance, its interior draped in warm lights and brown hues creates an invigorating ambiance.
The dining area is divided into two sections. The main area occupies the larger space on the left wing. It includes seating with timber tables and wooden chairs with sienna leather. Rows of round and square wooden tables run parallel to the wine bar. Next to it is the patinated zinc kitchen island framed with timber cuts, providing four seats closest to the grills.
Mirroring the essence of open-wood fire grilling, HDF made the kitchen viewable from any seat in the main dining area. As the space’s focal point, Fireplace’s dynamic kitchen immerses the guests with its culinary theatrics, set against a backdrop of fire-resistant brick walls. The ceiling beams also separate the cooking and dining areas and emphasize the kitchen as the space’s cornerstone.
The hanging dry-aging showcase and grand floor-to-ceiling wine display adjacent to the island further highlight the kitchen. These spaces are all made transparent to visibly tell Fireplace’s story and food philosophy.
The dining area’s other section is an eight-seater semi-private space saved for special occasions. The metal mesh curtains, also inspired by the elements of a grill, act as a subtle partition. Leather artwork crafted in Bali, Indonesia and a Paola Navone’s brass pendant light further add sophisticated touches.
To complete its natural inspirations, the design studio enveloped the entire space with a rammed earth wall.
The Essence of Fireplace
HDF’s experience with high-end hospitality knows a restaurant should not only serve good food. They believe that the success of food businesses lies in original ideas and stories it passionately wants to tell. As they greatly value brand identity and customer experience, this design studio successfully executed these principles and infused it into Fireplace.
“This establishment [Fireplace] is more than a restaurant. It is a celebration of fire, flavor, and camaraderie, inviting guests into a world where each dish honors the generous gifts of the earth. All set against the picturesque backdrop of Singapore’s One Holland Village,” Principal designers Evgeniya Lazareva and Aleksandra Koroleva remarked.
Photo credits to Marcus Lim
Read more: Madi Hiyaa: An Overwater Bamboo Restaurant
“Thailand has claimed urban creativity and livability. Singapore has institutional design leadership. Indonesia is emerging as a design hub. Vietnam is moving into design innovation. And the Philippines? Its position is not weak. It is simply unclaimed.” For IDr. Cecil Ravelas, National President of the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers (PIID), the challenge is not […]
The Ramon Magsaysay Center as a Modernist Landmark Driving down Roxas boulevard from Rizal Park, what will catch your eye is the most elegant modernist structure in the country, the Ramon Magsaysay Center. Most established Filipino architects put it in their top ten lists of favorite buildings. It was designed by Alfredo J. Luz, who […]
Rinna Soriano’s favorite part of her work is sanding. At her workbench, she stays focused, following the grain, adjusting to changes in its direction. Narra, she has learned, can have interlocking grain. A piece of mango once proved particularly difficult until a worker explained that she had reached the point where a branch once grew […]
Filipino architectureArchitectureThe art and science of designing and constructing buildings, structures, and spaces that are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. It encompasses the planning, design, materials, and techniques used to createGo to Architecture Glossary has long been associated with indigenous materials and vernacular design strategies, from bamboo and timber construction to jalousie windows, generous spaces, […]
A chair does not always prescribe how to sit in it. A lamp can be more than a source of light. A clock can be more than a way to tell the time.These small departures from convention are at the center of IKEA PS 2026. The latest iteration of IKEA’s experimental PS series comprises more […]
Read the issues.
Collect the volumes.
Recommended Video
Tap to Unmute
Unmute
0:00
0:00