Not that I’m a huge fan of McDonalds, but I admire the fact that it is a company that’s not afraid of changing, adapting, evolving and moving towards the future. Soon after the Supersize Me movie, it started to offer healthier alternatives and was the first to indicate the nutrition value of all their meals and some branches are now recycling as well. In Europe, interiors of the McDonald chains are moving to the modern side. Shh an architectural, design and branding company in the UK created three modern McDonalds restaurants in the UK : a flagship store on Oxford street, an outlet in the Chapelfield shopping center in Norwich and another one in West Thurrock.

Flagship Restaurant in Oxford
The flagship restaurant located on Oxford street includes a teenage ‘bar’ dining area, TV screens, internet and gaming points. It makes sense considering the fact that in an urban location, teenagers are more likely to go there. If only the one in the Byward Market (Ottawa) could look like this (*sigh*). There are beautiful glass stairs leading to the second floor. I love the way they integrated the colors of McDonalds (yellow and red) in a modern way. I imagine it’s a nice hang out spot for teenagers if they don’t over do it.

Norwich outlet
In Norwich, the design of the flagship restaurant was adapted for a mall. I think they did a really good job. Instead of the typical square counter they made it round and bright white so the red and yellow really stand out. I love the red tiled wall in behind the booth and the large white u-shaped counter. It looks like an ideal place for kids. The booths on the other side of the red glass panels are a bit off to me. I love their shape and the idea, but I don’t get the color (a bit old compared to the rest of the space). Perhaps it has to do with the mall rather than the McDonalds.

West Thurrock outlet
For the West Thurrock restaurant, a freestanding drive-though restaurant, they went on a slightly different direction using accents of wood and a bit of orange (mixing the yellow and red from the brand’s color… smart!). This space is a bit more serious. Apparently very popular with families, it includes an “optomusic pod”, an interactive kids’ game zone and internet stations. I love the pendant lights randomly placed above the seating area. Notice how the height of the booth increases at it gets closer to the area where people can order their food to give them more privacy (clever). The long red benches look like sofas, which make them inviting for groups. You can see why families would be inclined to come eat there. I love the lines they create in the space. Notice how even the shade of the chosen wood veneer match the McDonald colors: mixing the signature red and yellow to get that orange tint. The chairs use in this space evoke classic mid-century modern chairs such as the Ant Chair, Eames rocker.

I really hope fast food chains around here open up to modern design. Because what we get so far looks more like this :(

Modern design shouldn’t only be for expensive restaurants. Right?

source: designdeinteriores, shh

El Rancho Alberto Aguilera is a really neat restaurant in Madrid with multiple personalities. Designed by Miguel Garcia Caridad, this Argentinian grill is anything but traditional. It includes a bar, two dining areas, and a private room.

El City Bar
El City Bar, the bar, is a very bright and high energy space with bright white walls, large black and white images from the 60s and 70s. The curved ceiling, also a nod to the 60s, allows for a very nice effect with the light that curves from the ceiling onto the wall. Even the duct, in stainless steel, was considered in the design and the fire extinguisher looks like an accessory. I really like the black glass wall in the back too.

The bar features a matte glass decorated with a floral pattern. Behind the glass are color changing LEDs. As the color of the lights changes, a new atmosphere is created in the space. A portion of the floor located in front of the window, also features color-changing LEDs, which probably gets the attention of any passerby. The white light shelves behind the bar were custom designed and provide a very nice contrast to the black wall.

Salón Iroco
The design of the first dining room, Salon Iroco, has a calmer softer feel to it. There isn’t a lot of contrast in this monochromatic space but there is a lot of texture: The horizontal wood strips on the wall to the right, the wood floor, the fabric on the wall to the left and the vertical tubes in the back, and the tiled wall near the kitchen.

The stairs leading up to the bar are very interesting as well.They are covered with ceramic tiles in the shape of the name of various popular cities around the world. Two embedded lights in each riser emphasize this detail and create a nice effect.

Salón Bambú
Salón Bambú, the second dining room, is very similar to Salón Iroco in design except that the wall features bamboo behind a glass with a blue backdrop. The feel is a bit less serious and a bit more contemporary.

Salón Loft
Salón Loft is the private room. It’s like the love child between El City Bar and Salón Iroco: a mix of classic and trendy. It has a high contrast, the walls are either covered with black back-stitched leather, classic style ceramic mosaic mural, featuring the face of a classic statue, or covered with painted white bricks. The black crystal chandeliers are also a mix of modern and classic. I can see a lot of common elements with the bar and the first dining room.

There’s another El Rancho, El Rancho Vincente Caledrón, also with multiple personalities when it comes to design, but completely different than El Rancho Alberto Aguilera, as shown here.

reference : Hosteleria, 2 trimestre 2009
photo: El Rancho Alberto Aguilera

Inamo is a restaurant and bar unlike any other. Designed by Blacksheep interior architecture and design, it’s a fusion of design and technology…my favorite :) I also love the black ceiling.

Located in Soho, London, it features an interactive ordering system where you can order your food on a surface computing system right on your table. This computer/table enables you to see what you can eat, the chefs cooking your food, choose the look of your table, find out about the neighborhood and more. I don’t know if it’s already in the interactive system, but I would add the option of drawing things and sending messages to other tables.

Photo: Blacksheep & Inamo

via : Trend Land