This new Hyderabad restaurant channels a breezy, beachside energy across 12,000 square feet

It began with the location. Spread across a staggering 12,000 square feet—one of the largest rooftop restaurants in the city as managing director of Aspect Hospitality Hitesh Keswani reveals—Akina Hyderabad boasts three sections: an indoor seating section, an outdoor bar and deck by the pool, and a passage which connects the two and the services. But the sprawling footprint and unique location presented its own set of design challenges. “One of the biggest hurdles was setting up a proper roof structure on the open terrace, as we only had a truss built on the roof,” reveals Kapoor. They experimented with multiple iterations, while dealing with the constraints of height restrictions (to not go beyond three-feet-high walls), intense heat and heavy rains. “We also had to design for circulation between the sections, especially from the two opposing poles of the kitchen and the outdoor dining area,” she reveals.

One of the only references to Asian culture are the bass-relief scriptures that appear on the indoor walls, beside the bar above.

Indrajeet Nishad

A curation of huge pots, planters and lanterns adorn different nooks around the indoor seating of the restaurant. The flooring, a muted Mother of Pearl terrazzo, anchors the space. Kapoor borrows from the geometry of Japanese scriptures and abstracts it to contemporary forms, using them as textural cut-outs to add depth to the walls.

Indrajeet Nishad

Indrajeet Nishad

Kapoor introduces a slope (for rainwater) to the flat truss already provided, by constructing a glass-and-ACP-sheets roofing structure above it. Services were incorporated below, hidden from view with wooden louvers and mirrors while the glass acts as a skylight. The connecting passage was roofed with glass underscored with a rhythm of bamboo, casting delightfully patterned shadows with the changing sun. For the outdoors, Kapoor opted for a retractable roof allowing for the option to dine under the stars.

The furniture and hues of the outdoor seating tend towards bolder choices, bringing in pops of vibrant colours.

Indrajeet Nishad

A combination of canvas, rattan inside and polystyrene outside came together to compose the lighting fixtures. Carefully calibrated street lamps of two types (one woven with bamboo and the other with rope) dot the outdoor section. The bamboo lamps behind the sunbed walls were carefully assembled to cast mesmerizing shadows.

Indrajeet Nishad

This was the first time Kapoor worked with polystraw, which soon turned into one of her favourite learning experiences through this design. “It’s such a simple material, easy to use and perfect when it comes to changing the character of a space to add a breezy charm,” she explains. The outdoor bar is another favourite of Kapoor’s. The micro-topping is done in an elegant shade of green, an atypical choice that only echoes the restaurant’s theme of being connected with nature.

Indrajeet Nishad

Envisioning Akina Hyderabad as a series of interwoven spaces rather than a single, open-plan layout allows a sense of discovery to linger in the narrative, bolstered by the aesthetic choices that guide the entire design. “Above all, the clients wanted the space to be timeless, which meant a muted colour palette and incorporating a lot of plants,” Kapoor says. Akina’s heart lies in its name itself, which stands for ‘bright, autumn greens’. Channeling a bohemian aesthetic that heavily relies on plants and natural greens to bring in a freshness that one can sorely miss in corporate settings, the restaurant transforms into an earthy, immersive oasis.