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“Thinking about the reopening of restaurants right now can be stressful, but not thinking about it can be disastrous,” says globetrotting interior designer Adam Tihany, renowned for his high-end hospitality work. Counting celebrity chefs such as Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller among his clients, Tihany is well-placed to consider the post-COVID-19 future of restaurants, especially the variety of pricey eateries that diners flock to as much for the ambience as for the food.

Among his solutions: semi-custom privacy barriers that redefine the experience of fine dining by emphasizing being present over being seen, ensuring both intimacy and safety in the process. “The screens are designed with wellness and comfort in mind,” says Alessia Genova, managing partner at Tihany Design, which is based in New York City, “but they also evoke a kind of ‘public privacy’ that we feel might offer a positive spin on rebuilding the experience of dining out. It becomes an opportunity to focus on the faces and food in front of you while still enjoying the atmosphere, the service and everything we’ve been missing while apart from our favourite restaurants.”

Although Tihany’s lightweight, easy-to-maintain screens share the same semi-opaque glass panelling, the wooden frames can be tailored to complement a range of interiors, from ornate to contemporary, sumptuous to hard-edged. For beleaguered restaurateurs, the designer’s solution offers a concrete (if temporary) tool that’s as elegant as it is effective. What distinguishes it further is the rarefied category it addresses — and the way it might inspire a rethink of how we inhabit such spaces going forward.

Adam Tihany Creates an Easy Hospitality Hack

The luxury restaurant designer shares his innovation for making fine dining safe again.

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