Undulating chainmail curtains lend a stage-like quality to the open kitchen of this Mumbai restaurant designed by Serie Architects.
Qualia is set on the ground floor of Mumbai's Lodha World One skyscraper and has been designed to let diners "feel part of the entire practice of cooking".
To achieve this, Serie Architects orientated all of the dining areas throughout the 370-square-metre restaurant towards its grand open kitchen, which runs the entire length of the rear wall.

The kitchen is split into three sections: a drinks bar, a central cooking space ? which includes its own hearth ? and an area dedicated to making the desserts.
Above each of these sections dangles a bronze chainmail screen. The screens gently undulate, much like the heavy velvet curtains seen in a theatre, making the kitchen below appear as a "stage".
"The bronze chainmail is used to create a division of spaces whilst allowing partial visibility between them," said practice co-founder Christopher Lee.
"It also creates soft boundaries between different zones and has a theatrical effect that is sensuous and dramatic in equal measure," he told Dezeen.

Behind the screens are several rows of shelving, which are meant to act as a proscenium ? an arched or square structure erected on a theatre stage to frame the action of the play.
The shelves display glass jars of ingredients that are incorporated into the dishes on Qualia's menu.
A high counter and row of stools have...