OFIA are masters at creating meaningful architecture as well as best interior spaces that tell a story. The design concept for Three Stories, New Delhi, flows out of a forest trail that beckons travellers away from the wearying city,deep into a hidden clearing where they are entertained, looked after and regaled with food, drink and music.

This forms the core of the contemporary interior design concept around which Three Stories restaurant, bar and lounge is built. Sanjiv Malhan of OFIA has used the trinity, a classic mystical concept, to great effect. Three different modes are created through clever use of light, texture and colour and this enables the weaving together of three different spatial narratives in this hugely successful restaurant.

The different times of day as reflected in a forest clearing: Late night as symbolized by the dark depths where the underground bar and discotheque create a dark jungle rhythm; this flow into the golden-hued fine dine that echoes the mellow afternoon sun and the warmth and hospitality of a fireplace; and high above on the top floor level waits the all-white Sheesha lounge that echoes the climb towards the light and the early morning.

‘Three Stories’ were thus spun into being, to co-exist and flow seamlessly into one another. Pulsating white and shades of black define the dark depths of Night Club interiors while a mellow gold gives an assured air of warmth and well-being to the fine dining restaurant area and the Sheesha lounge, positioned at the apex top, transcends into a trendy ephemeral white.

This restaurant has global identitythat is chic and yet neutral enough to belong anywhere from a sushi bar in the Ginza to a chic trattoria in Manhattan or a Greek eatery in Soho.

God is in the details and this is where Sanjiv Malhan’s meticulous attention to detailing is clearly evident. The gold ceiling sculpture, lovingly crafted and cut from single acrylic blocks; the ‘god’ wall, which represents the unifying force of the cosmos, that which connects the day with the night… each is an example of the labour of love that Three Stories is. The furniture suits the ambience and is inviting and soothing.