越南的花卉

Flowers of Vietnam

Flowers is a 3,385 sq ft. building renovation and 2,630 sq. ft. Vietnamese restaurant and bar that started as a popup and is now a fully open restaurant, in the former long standing Vernor Coney Island. Owned and operated by its Chef George Azar, a local who grew up in the neighborhood and knew the previous owner of the building, wanted to maintain the welcoming atmosphere of the space.

While in the pop-up phase the chef actively sought to hire community members to serve and cook, invited those working and those eating in the restaurant to contribute to the decor with drawings or other pieces, and asked his friends to DJ or play music during service

The strategies that had been used for the successful pop up were amplified for the restaurant design: a local artist and designer help create a projection installation in the bathrooms, well respected electronic musicians have been invited to play at the restaurant, a series of guest bartenders helped promote the restaurant during its renovation and afterward, a local gardener is planting a green ceiling in the bar area. These people ensured interest in the project was maintained in the neighborhood and rekindled among many varied communities when the space reopened.