Dear Guest Café Marries Art Deco Elegance with Whimsical Design in Silver Lake
A new 1,100‑square‑foot café on Sunset Boulevard blends 1930s Art Deco with Studio Ghibli‑inspired fantasy, creating a playful hospitality experience.
Concept and Design Vision
Dear Guest opens on a busy stretch of Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood, offering a setting that feels “almost like a memory you can’t quite place,” says designer Jialun Xiong. The 1,100‑square‑foot interior was created by Studio Jialun Xiong and merges 1930s Art Deco elegance with the dreamlike quality of Studio Ghibli animation.
The design draws on Parisian boutique hotels and traditional Japanese ryokans, borrowing hospitality rituals as well as visual cues. Xiong explains that the goal was to craft a space “slightly removed from everyday life,” where playfulness emerges through color and shape while a cohesive dreamlike atmosphere ties everything together.
Entrance and Public Areas
Guests first encounter an outdoor seating zone featuring custom butter‑yellow ombré tabletops and the studio’s new Extrusion Stools, establishing the café’s playful tone.
A concierge‑style pastry counter near the entrance serves as the narrative hub, pairing traditional European crown molding with a reflective silver ceiling for a subtly surreal effect.
Geometric Language and Materials
Geometry and repetition dominate the design. Circles of varying sizes appear in mirrors, while grid patterns repeat across wall panels, banquettes, lighting and the bar. This intentional layering creates visual rhythm without becoming maximalist.
Materials include black glazed tiles, warm gray quartz countertops, and a pearlescent hot‑glass tile backsplash that defines the bar. Despite the varied textures, the palette remains restrained, allowing proportion and balance to stand out.
Custom Furniture and Color Play
The Void Chair offers a soft yellow hue that contrasts with the cocoa‑brown leather of the Skeleton Lounge Chair.
Custom pendant lights hang above the tables, and a patinated bronze, star‑shaped joinery detail adorns a cabinet opposite the bar.
In the bathroom, silver walls are embellished with hand‑painted illustrations featuring motifs often found in hotels, reinforcing the blend of familiar and whimsical elements.
Designer Reflections
“I like mixing things that feel familiar with something a bit unusual or playful,” Xiong says, noting that the space’s “little moments” emerge as guests spend time inside. She adds that a richer palette makes “proportion, rhythm, and visual balance even more important,” ensuring the café feels layered yet orderly.
About the Author
Malia Agostinelli is a writer and editor who blends design and the built environment with storytelling. She enjoys exploring new countries, taking yoga classes, and curating content for her Substack, Collected Elsewhere.
