The
original building was designed in 1956 for the Tiny Naylor's coffee shop chain
by architects Armet and Davis, who made a name for themselves in the late
1940's, 50's and 60's with their exuberant versions of roadside commercial
pop modernism, referred to as "Googie" style, after a restaurant
by the same name.
The
design of Temple Restaurant transforms the eye-catching kitsch modernism of
a 24-hour roadside greasy spoon into a refined, ethereal setting for euro-Korean
cuisine. Opposition is established between light and dark by anchoring a dynamic,
black walnut-stained wood form on the central axis of the building and using
white, translucent, and light-reflective materials elsewhere. A floor to ceiling
layer of clear glass allows the visual continuity of interior and exterior space
to be complete, while a row of white block walls, six feet square, defines the
perimeter of the outdoor dining terrace. These elements engage the wood form
at the center and the zig-zag roof volume in a rhythmically complex relationship.
One
approaches Temple up a gentle ramp and under a luminous shade parallel to the
street and arrives on axis with the entry, then enters over a threshold of water,
setting foot upon a hovering white ground plane. White glass mosaic tile, aluminum
plate, and mirror glass are used to lighten the visual weight of volumes and
surfaces by reflecting light in different ways. The abstract qualities of the
existing building were emphasized and key elements accentuated to subtly allude
to traditional eastern design while introducing new elements derived from classic
modern architecture and contemporary minimalist sculpture. The interior palette
is a combination of blues, whites and chocolates with custom made tables and
benches with the owners' elegant collection of antique celadon vases as the
perfect minimal accessory.
