Hybrid culture space: A study of hybrid culture and its practical application in the design of an Eastern-Western hybrid restaurant

Hybrid culture space is a space where cultural elements and characteristics of different origins coexist, integrate and transform. This results in a space that has a new identity and new cultural meaning. The cultural hybridization of space is a phenomenon that is challenging the traditional expression of cultural identity in interior design. Interior designers must recognize and respond to the importance of cultural elements in design as well as understand how those elements are being rapidly transformed, in the context of increasing globalization and cultural exchanges. Without an understanding of hybrid culture, the interior space risks losing the ability to relate to stakeholders in a deeply significant way. The goals of this study are to encourage designers to define, identify and express hybrid culture in interior environments.

This practicum focuses on hybrid culture space through the design of a new Eastern and Western fusion restaurant environment located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. In the design inquiry the definition and expression of hybrid culture in design are established through analysis of architecture and semiotic theory, pluralist and post-modern movements, case studies, and the concept of cultural accessibility. Three key design strategies are derived from this investigation. These strategies seek to incorporate elements intended to hybridize the strengths, cultural signs and dining settings of both Eastern and Western cultures to maximize cultural accessibility. The final design serves as an example of a hybrid restaurant environment that strives to offer new cultural experiences and meanings to its users.