A Nighttime World Built in Layers That Unfold With Every Step

The Opportunity
The owners had an opportunity to take over a tiny former Thai restaurant space in San Diego’s Convoy District and turn it into a speakeasy with a point of view.

The Shift
They wanted the intimacy and intrigue of a speakeasy, but the original 1920s direction felt disconnected from who they are. With a small footprint, every decision had to work harder, for story, flow, and guest experience.

The Story We Told
As a design collaboration with Michael Soriano, we guided the concept toward something truer: a space rooted in their Chinese and Korean heritage, with an experience that unfolds like a narrative.

How the Space Unfolds
1 Begin in a modern apothecary, unexpected, sensual, and atmospheric
2 Travel deeper into the lounge as if moving through time along the Silk Road
3 Use layered lighting, texture, scent, and hidden details to reward discovery
4 Break the storyline on purpose in one moment for contrast, surprise, and delight

What Guests Experience
The Realm of 52 Remedies became a speakeasy that reveals itself in chapters. The front apothecary sets the tone with ancient incense and medicinal aromas, grounding the experience before you ever sit down. Beyond, warm pools of light, tactile materials, and reflective moments guide how guests move, gather, and linger. Even the artifacts carry meaning. We hand made the dragon eggs in seven layers, with markings arranged like Morse code so each line holds a hidden message.

Then the bathrooms flip the script. We designed them as a modern, Blade Runner like hit of energy: blue neon in Chinese and Korean, K Pop blasting, and a bold contrast to the rest of the space. That unexpected shift became part of the magic, a jolt that makes the whole experience more memorable.

Why we loved designing it
I loved this project because it was true world building. We transformed a tiny space into a layered journey, built on heritage, sensation, and surprise, with details guests feel immediately and discover over time. surprise invite guests to slow down, explore, and settle in.

about the project