The Project is a 2000 sq.ft. Restaurant (Aja) with a 500 sq.ft. show kitchen, and the materials used are Salmon Pink Hand-made Ceramic Tiles. The restaurant is located in Chandigarh, & pays an ode to the city, with it’s material palette, that comprises of monotone Kota stone flooring, Yellow Jaisalmer terrazzo bar, Mosaic tiles & Lime Plastered walls in shades of Le Corbusier’s city colors.
The restaurant is designed with Pierre Jeanneret Furniture in Cane & upholstered in Khadi, complimenting the tones of the Kota. The furniture is designed with Studio Chandigarh. The restaurant has a Feel Good vibe just like the city, with it’s first Paw-Friendly Outdoors & Takeaways.
The Materials Used In This Classic Restaurant Reminds One Of Le Corbusier | MT Designs
The Lightings are customized for an ambient feel, in Hand-Blown Glass & Solid Brass, details carefully handcrafted in our studio. The space flow capturing maximum natural lighting, throughout the day.
Aja speaks for Honestly Good food, in a city (Chandigarh) that is known for it’s slow Good life. The only way for us to move forward was, to bring all these values into our design. The city materials were studied, & executed in the material palette in a contemporary way to please today’s client, & yet keeping the essence of the good space with the material craft.
The Green Kota monotone floor, found in the Government offices, the mosaic tiles of the Rock Garden, Lime plastered walls to feel the calmness of the city, terrazzo inlays inspired from Le Corbusier’s concrete, the colors of the Chandigarh high court, the geometry & the shadows, all were executed into the layout & the design language.
The Layout is designed to allow maximum Natural Light, & to allow a seamless connect between the outdoors & the indoors. A place that is flexible & transitions throughout the day. The 500sq.foot Show Kitchen, for the Restaurant was designed in the Feel Good Materials.
The walls & the ceilings are done in 3 layers of Lime Plaster with an underlying layer of Jute, to absorb all those kitchen fumes. The final layer is a beautiful Lime Wash texture in Forest Green, maintaining a high indoor air quality index.
The space comes together with the Handmade Tiles from Narania Studio, hand glazed in a monotone Salmon Pink. These ceramic tiles not only covers the Kitchen dado, but also builds a take away table, all easy to clean & yet supporting a beautiful mess. The Kitchen floor and the lower-half of the walls are designed in small Kota Stone blocks, that creates a beautiful monotone green throughout the space. The overall space is Functional, Clean & Geometric.
The Kitchen is basking with all the Natural Light that keeps changing throughout the day, creating an interaction between the two sides & an inspirational space for the staff to work. The Take Away window table is in broken ceramic tiles, reflecting back all that heat from the glass.
The layout being arched, needed a partition to perceive the space clean. It is softly divided with wooden shelves that also caters as the cafe library & smart tableware storage. The geometric Kota floor, however flows seamlessly, maintaining continuity to the overall space. The first partition of the restaurant, with multiple lounge & community seatings.
The areas are thoughtfully aligned to Natural lighting, divided by materiality & color schemes. The second partition of the restaurant, with the Yellow Jaisalmer Bar & the coffee lounge area interacting with the beautiful outdoors. The Classic Chandigarh Box chairs with jute weaving, designed by Studio Chandigarh.
The Bar None is the heart of the restaurant, kept open for all. Nothing to hide, the good process being open to all. Our Handcrafted Terrazzo bar in yellow Jaisalmer stone inlay, is a pop of color we added to the overall muted color palette. It cleverly camouflages all the back bar clutter, with a similar terrazzo clad dado on the wall counter.
Fact File
Designed by: MT Designs
Project Type: Restaurant Architecture & Interior Design
Project Name: Aja
Location: Chandigarh
Year Built: 2025
Built-up Area: 2000 Sq.ft
Principal Designer: Mehak Thakur
Photograph Credits: Vaibhav Passi
Furniture: Eashan Chaufla
Ceramics Partner: Narania Tiles
Firm’s Instagram Link: MT Designs
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