From Street to Sleek

Therese Virserius Design recently unveiled Xie-Xie, a new restaurant brand from chef Angelo Sosa. Xie-Xie (pronounced shay-shay), which means “thank you” in Mandarin, brings us affordable Asian street food fare in a high-end setting.

Some thoughts from Therese Virserius on her design concept after the jump.

What drew you to this project?
I like the idea of combining great, healthy fast food with thoughtful design, art ,and fashion that is accessible to everyone and not an exclusive experience for a select few.

You spent some time living and designing in China, how did your time there inform the design of Xie-Xie?
One thing I learned while living in China is that restaurants there are not like the typical Chinese restaurants that you see here in U.S. and Europe. They are more sophisticated and I took that experience and implemented it into Xie Xie’s design.

Did Asian street food stands and markets figure strongly into your design?
Since it is a fast food concept, I guess you could say that Xie Xie is an abstract of the street food stands but much cleaner!

How important is design in the creation and expansion of a brand?
It’s extremely important. It’s how you create brand recognition. Take Starbucks as an example – you just need to see the green color or the outline of the sign and you instantly know it’s a Starbucks. By using some bold architectural elements and art features, we hope that when people see the shape or the coloration they instantly will associate them with Xie Xie.

Can you describe your design?
It’s a fun concept with curved walls/ceilings that feature playful inlays of gradient Xie Xie. We have rustic plank wood flooring to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. There are Asian-inspired stools, a sleek back-lit purple transaction desk featuring stark white Corian tops that generate a crisp, clean, and vibrant feel, and the art wall features large-scaled fortune cookies in strong saturated colors.

What’s next?
In addition to Xie Xie, Therese Virserius Design is embarking on some of our most significant projects to date including the complete renovation of the Hyatt Regency Montreal; Bar Vdara, a sophisticated lounge bar located at Vdara Hotel & Spa at CityCenter in Las Vegas; and the design of an exclusive line of furniture produced by American of Martinsville (AOM) available to the hospitality trade.