Trespa Celebrates Restaurant Design by Stuart Forbes and Olle Lundberg

The week-long event will combine an exhibition of the designs of London's River Cafe and San Francisco's Moss Room with panel discussions between the chef-owners and architects of each restaurant.

Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 9/22/2009

The River Café

Continuing the Dutch ascendancy in New York this month, Netherlands-based panel manufacturer Trespa is hosting a weeklong showcase on restaurant design trends at its SoHo showroom, the Trespa Design Centre, through September 27.

Dubbed Appetite for Design, the event is centered on an exhibition of drawings, photographs, exhibits, and menus highlighting two recent restaurant designs: architect Stuart Forbes redesign of London's The River Café and architect Olle Lundberg's creation of The Moss Room in San Francisco's new California Academy of Sciences building in the city's Golden Gate Park.


The River Café

In addition to the exhibition, there will be two panel discussions between the chef-owners of the restaurants and their architects. At 6:00 p.m. on September 22, Forbes, known for his work with the legendary British architect Richard Rogers on the Millennium Dome, will discuss the design of The River Café with Roger's wife, Ruth, and the restaurant's fellow chef-owner Rose Gray. The Michelin-rated restaurant got its start as an employee cafe at Richard Roger's architecture practice before being damaged by fire—leading to Forbes redesign.


The Moss Room

Also getting the panel treatment will be Loretta Keller, chef-owner of The Moss Room and an active member of the farm-to-table movement. Keller will sit down with Lundberg on September 24 at 6:00 p.m. to discuss, among other things, the 40-foot living wall of greenery that lends The Moss Room its name.

Both talks will be registered by the AIA Continuing Education System.


The Moss Room

Photography by Grant Smith.