Perforated Concrete Defines Malka’s New Palm Beach Restaurant

Kimmel Eshkolot has used perforated concrete blocks to shape the architecture and interiors of Malka, a new restaurant in West Palm Beach.

The 10,500-square-foot (975-square-metre) venue combines indoor and outdoor dining areas informed by tropical modernism, while reinterpreting a landmarked 1930s building.

GALLERY

The architects added an industrial-style frame to the historic structure, creating new dining zones around the central kitchen. At the heart of the concept is a custom square concrete block, perforated at the centre, that serves as a contemporary take on the mashrabiya, a traditional Middle Eastern screen. These blocks define the outdoor terraces, form partitions within the restaurant, and even extend from behind the bar into a curved feature wall that sweeps across the ceiling.

“Concrete is woven throughout the space to create a modern interpretation of the mashrabiya that pervades light and air, and regulates temperature and humidity,” said the studio.

The design balances solidity with warmth through the use of natural finishes. Horizontal timber slats line the ceiling in the main dining area, with vertical slats marking the transition to higher volumes. Landscape architect Keith Williams of Nievera Williams introduced tropical plantings to reinforce the connection to climate and place.

Anchoring the interiors are preserved olive trees, treated through deep-freezing so they can withstand Florida’s weather. One sits between the lounge and private dining space, while another takes centre stage in the courtyard within a concrete planter.

Dining revolves around chef Eyal Shani’s open-fire, wood-burning grill, complemented by “kitchen experience” tables of chocolate brown granite, fitted with hidden tracks for Corten steel trays that allow meals to be served family style.

“Malka’s new West Palm Beach location was created to be a bridge between Tel Aviv and Palm Beach,” said More Gelfand, who leads the firm’s New York studio. “Throughout the project, we carefully curated each element to bring a piece of the Mediterranean life here in Florida.”

Images by Amit Geron via Dezeen