It is love at first whiff every time I step inside this casual Indian eatery. There’s plenty of bustle and noisy chatter, while the smoky aromas speak of delicious Indian cooking. Chaska’s sprawling Indian food scene runs a gamut of regional styles and specialties, with a Bollywood symphony of fantastic flavors. From homely dhal dishes to Punjabi meats worth getting in line for.

The Owners wanted to rebrand Chaska’s identity for the new age foodie, after 15years of successfully being one of Auckland’s best Indian restaurants.

Our Solution

I chose to take inspiration from the rustic dhabas, found along the highways in North India, to the unique colourful Indian street food culture. Chaska has been designed with keeping in mind the structure in chaos that is a part of everyday life in India.

A street caricature was created my artist haider faraz for the entire wall behind the counter. I used utensils to create a quirky installation on one side and a photo wall depicting all the cultures of India on the other. The furniture/storage units were custom designed and the table tops are an example of unique joinery.

I made the ceiling lighting out of crates and used them in colourful clusters. An intimate seating booth was added to the floor plan that doubles up as the cutlery cupboard on the other side.

A handicapped toilet was added to the eatery which has been accessorised by a collage of Bollywood posters and quirky art created by me.

To add privacy, the entire front façade glass with covered with a one way vision vinyl with a colourful caricature. A 3D signage was finally installed to a pink roof making sure that Chaska’s location remains iconic.