Fascinating oriental flavors complement a wondrous experience playing out at KOKO Restaurant, a dining outlet of The Village Coconut Island Resort Phuket serving self-service breakfast, casual gastronomic dinner, to midnight cocktails.

From a native folktale of an unfortunate fisherman, believed to be Coconut Island’s pioneer, who was saved ashore after a boat wreck accident by hugging a floating coconut to the island, Studio Locomotive made assumptions further towards his surviving journey and settlement that latter became design concept of KOKO Restaurant; the fisherman discovered a freshwater pond in this ‘cave’ and decided to start his islander footprint at this sanctuary. Mysterious scenes in the extended composition helped to ascribe irregular functions from original building with a narrow entrance, low ceiling, and 14-meter long swimming pool.

Solution design reflected in KOKO Restaurant helped to characterize business identity by considering local context and overcome the limitation from renovation budget. Storytelling design and decorative features from choices of natural materials, symbolic colors, to selective display of local ingredients also gave a practical justification to trivialize overcomplicated construction methods. KOKO Restaurant is, however, enchanting from a trace of the fisherman’s intellect and adaptability.