This picturesque, calm, and ambient dining area was once the infamous ice rink of the Karavan mall. The entire mall has been going through a series of intense facelifts for almost a year now. The biggest change was substituting the ice rink for an extension of the food court.
Come to think of it, who would pay to skate on ice in a country where the roads are free ice rinks for a good part of the year?
But all that aside, I love this new look. I am, evidently, biased towards open and ambient dining spaces. I also picked up a few hints of clever designs to make this place even prettier.
I love the clever use of the pre-existing lowered floor from the previous ice rink. The mall used the lower level to its advantage and separated the mall from the food court using stairs and compartmentalizing the place. There are a lot of subtle uses of geometric shapes scattered in the court to match the new theme of the mall. It adds a little pzazz to the place but is not too overpowering.
A few days back I saw an image of how compartmentalizing a room can change how it feels. Using colors on specific walls can make the room seem taller, shorter, broader, or what have you. In this scenario, they have both separated the court from the mall by lining the margins with furniture and adding stairs, as well as made this section of the mall bigger by continuing the white color from the other sections like the upper floor and the adjacent walls.
In a few places, they also have added plants to make the borders of the food court more readable, but it also makes the place so much cozier and adds a natural touch.
On the other side, we can see budding ideas for the future. There are two rectangle-shaped tables with chairs around them. It does look like a perfect spot for a sushi bar or a cafe, no? I think it is a great way for the mall to add more geometric shapes to match the new theme as well as continue growing their business by offering spaces to new caterers.
In between the two tables, there is a children's playpen. Karavan was always a family mall and the ice rink was always an attraction to the children. The modern, but small, playpen is a way to continue being children friendly and if you take a closer look at the picture you can already see a child trying to enter the playpen.
A closer look from below brings the place together. Big bold geometric shapes on the ceilings and the subtle geometric elements on the floor match very nicely. With so much going on on the ceiling, it only makes sense to keep it lighter on the floor. Or else it would be too much to make for a good food break.
There is a very soft touch to the food court. In the "pit", the inside is more light wooden colored, then the red chairs stand out, and on the outside, the chairs are almost off-white. I like the graduation of these colors. It is not wild, but not boring at the same time.
Also, notice there are no big signs. No huge advertisements or big signboards. It is very mellow and calming. The previous food court was much more constricted, jammed, and loud. This is a complete 180, and a very good one.
Many food businesses use red colors, as it is believed to stimulate the appetite. In here we can see thorough use of red, but not over the top. It is just enough to stimulate your appetite but keep the gluttony in control. That is just a theory.
These individual pods have also been installed. They arent meant to be used as private dining spaces but instead are "charging pods" used to charge your devices and so on.
These are the first of their kind in the city. This food court is the first place to install these pods. Before this, I have come across plenty of benches that had a power outlet. But these are different and remind me of the "IT HUB" in Terminal 3 of the Dubai airport. I almost lost my passport there. But that's a story for another time.
You may have noticed the enormous amounts of temporary fence panels in the court. I believe this is a short-term solution. The place may not be completely ready for the public but enough to cater to their needs.
This place was closed off and was under maintenance until last week. I believe the mall decided to open it up for the huge influx in black Friday and for the upcoming holidays.
There also are some incomplete last touches. Like this naked staircase. Installing handrails and finishing up with tiles is a much easier task and can be done in installments. They wouldn't have to shut down the place. All in all, it is a very beautiful renovation. Ambient, calm, very open, and has a lot of potential for other activities like hosting shows, or adding more businesses.
What are your thoughts on this food court?
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