Essajees Atelier: Signature Restaurant and Entertainment Designs

How do you design a restaurant with zero walls? For Foo, we used a series of arches to create intimate zones, improve acoustics, and cleverly hide storage for back stock and service stations. It’s a perfect example of how we turn site challenges into beautiful, functional design features.

AC ducts can be a designer's nightmare, but for the 22,000 sq. ft. Dave & Buster’s, we made them part of the design. By integrating the grills into arched and coffered ceilings, we turned a technical necessity into a cool architectural element that enhances the space.

For Otoki, a Japanese restaurant in Colaba, the goal was quiet strength. The space is calm and minimal, using a palette of warm woods, soft neutrals, and custom lighting to create a timeless, not trendy, atmosphere. It shows our ability to create a specific, rooted vibe.

I believe washrooms should surprise and delight guests. In the Koko Hyderabad ladies' room, we used bold crimson walls and custom-arched vanities made from a dramatic red and white marble to create a memorable, high-impact space that feels like a destination in itself.

Relaunching an iconic brand like Fountain Sizzlers meant honoring its past while looking to the future. We used a mix of classic checkerboard floors, rich red booths, and custom artwork to create a space that feels both nostalgic and modern, capturing the heart of old Bombay.

Our design process starts with detailed renders so clients can truly visualize the final space. For Fountain Sizzlers, we planned every detail, from the arched booth partitions to the custom art, ensuring the vision we presented was exactly what we delivered.

And here is the reality. Seeing our renders for Fountain Sizzlers come to life is the most rewarding part of the process. We pride ourselves on executing our vision with precision, ensuring the finished restaurant matches the dream we sold to the client.

I love creating hidden bars that blend beauty with function. This custom hand-painted cabinet looks like a piece of art, but opens to reveal a fully equipped bar with marble counters, a wine chiller, and specialized storage. It’s the ultimate functional statement piece.

It was an honor to be invited by Apple to give Tim Cook a one-on-one walkthrough of Indian art and architecture. Sharing my passion for design with someone who has shaped the world of design was an unforgettable moment and a validation of my family's 130-year history in art.