FOR RESTAURANTS, intimacy and comfort are becoming paramount when it comes to design and customer experience. Consumers increasingly seek cozy, welcoming spaces that foster personal connections and restaurant designers are rising to the challenge, crafting environments that blend comfort, innovation and local flavor. According to a recent survey conducted by IA Interior Architects (San Francisco), “Culinary Crossroads,” 86 percent of Gen Z respondents now prioritize a comfortable ambience and furnishings when choosing a restaurant. This shift reflects the post-pandemic desire for intimate interactions and local community.

PHOTO: NEMANJA SOFRONIC, NEW ORLEANS

Jolie, a newly opened restaurant and cocktail lounge in New Orleans’ historic Warehouse District, exemplifies this trend. Jolie was conceived as a space that feels like “the home of a young world traveler who delights in entertaining and showcasing her adventures through collected treasures,” says Katy Curtis, Founder of 75 Degree Design Studio (Dallas), the firm behind the restaurant’s design.

The space highlights the former warehouse’s industrial shell while blending old charm with modern sensibilities. Jolie is a masterclass in maximalism, featuring a harmonious blend of patterns, textures, colors and materials. The design thoughtfully includes details of New Orleans’ rich cultural heritage through its accessories and art pieces sourced from local antique stores, grounding the space in its NOLA roots. The menu, geared toward brasserie-style French cuisine, is complemented by a diverse cocktail selection that showcases flavors from around the world. “We tapped into the theatricality of the space with dark green velvet curtains draping the private dining room with an overscale swag entrance,” Curtis says​. “The space feels like you are visiting someone’s home.”

above: Located in the Pike/Pine neighborhood of Seattle, Mt. Joy offers a relaxed and flexible dining experience for both locals and tourists to gather comfortably.

Like Jolie, the casual eatery Mt. Joy (Seattle) is intimately connected to its home city. Bright, bold and housed in the Pike/Pine corridor in Seattle, the 1900-square-foot Mt. Joy fosters its local roots through an open storefront that flows into the street, inviting Seattleites inside. Graphics on the walls boast the restaurant’s partnerships with local farms. The vibrant yet naturalistic colors highlight the geometric furnishings and custom-made central banquette, creating a gathering spot for patrons to eat and talk. “We designed the restaurant to envelop customers upon entry, resembling the experience of passing through a threshold into an ecosystem, much like visiting a farm or a forest,” says Kailin Gregga and Ian Butcher, Co-Partners of Best Practice Architecture (Seattle).

Restaurants are increasingly focused on spacious seating options and “incorporating neuro-inclusive design principles, such as ambient circadian lighting and sensory friendly furnishings, to ensure all diners feel comfortable and included,” says Carlotta Dove, Director of Consumer Experience at IA Interior Architects (New York)​. (This approach is especially evident in Jolie’s design, where every element, from plush seating to low lighting, creates a cohesive and inviting atmosphere.) The future of restaurant design will be multifaceted, shaped by generational preferences, ecological and economic dynamics, according to Dove and the “Culinary Crossroads” survey. Restaurants must cater to a diverse clientele, offering tailored experiences for different age groups. For senior diners, this might mean smaller portions and analog interactions. Gen Z and Alpha diners with hybrid working patterns will seek immersive “third space” experiences that blend dining with social and digital engagement and demand flexible dining options. Intimacy in restaurant design is already a necessity. By creating spaces where locals feel at home, Jolie and Mt. Joy are prime examples of these emerging design trends.

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📷 Nemanja Sofronic, New Orleans