How Two Atlanta Restaurants Use Design, Sound, and Tabletop Objects to Shape Your Night Out
Buckhead's Koshu Club and West Midtown's Füm ensure the dining experience is just as memorable as the food
At Buckhead’s Koshu Club, hip-hop pulses through the speakers as servers in custom Sid Mashburn uniforms weave through the moody dining room. Without windows, illuminated only by sculptural lamps and carefully placed sconces, it no longer feels like Atlanta. It also feels like nothing here—from the rolling champagne cart to the Japanese cloth coasters—is incidental. The elevated environment shows Atlanta restaurants are raising the bar on the fine details, and a pair of recently opened establishments are leading the charge.
It starts with setting the mood. Koshu Club, which specializes in yōshoku, the Japanese interpretation of Western cuisine, was designed by Smith Hanes Studio to capture the spirit of an intimate Japanese supper club. Co-owner Fred Castellucci wanted upbeat music that wouldn’t drown out conversation. “We took a lot of effort to make sure that we have amazing acoustics in there,” he says. This meant choosing materials that dampen sound in addition to high-quality audio equipment. “The music is loud and a focal point of the dining experience, yet you can have a conversation at a normal decibel,” adds Castellucci.
At Füm in West Midtown, the focus is on creating a sense of movement throughout the dining room. “We looked at Italian piazzas and how everything is concentrated on the periphery,” says Pili Restrepo Hackler, creative director and co-founder of Grassfed Culture Hospitality. From their tables, guests can take in the scenes happening around them, whether it’s the DJ booth, open hearth, pasta-making room, dry-aging chamber, or cocktail bar. The effect is a restaurant that feels lively regardless of where one sits.
Some of the most memorable details are the ones diners can touch. At Füm, spreads for the house-made focaccia arrive in oversize bowls alongside colorful resin butter knives. The bowls, says Restrepo Hackler, are meant to evoke the joy of eating cereal from an oversize bowl as a child. “I believe we have to have beauty around us,” she says. “Even your butter spreader needs to spark joy, right?”
The food itself is artwork of its own. Füm’s day catch crudo with green grapes, olives, and citrus “caviar” (from finger limes) resembles a kaleidoscopic design the way it blooms on the plate. At Koshu Club, a wagyu beef sando arrives on an amber-hued glass plate that reflects the dining room’s warm lighting. It’s a departure from their ceramic serving pieces and strikes a balance between luxury and playfulness.
While a vinyl record, a vintage bowl, or a custom uniform may feel insignificant, together, they create an unforgettable restaurant. “You notice that these details are all carefully selected, yet at the same time it’s a place that’s fun and exciting to be in,” says Castellucci. “It’s like timeless luxury that is, in a lot of ways, understated.” koshuclubatl.com; fumatl.com
