Auckland eatery Saan’s breathtaking interior

This Auckland eatery combines regional Thai cuisine with an interior by Cheshire Architects

The crew behind Auckland’s Café Hanoi have teamed up with Cheshire Architects to create another alluring space. Saan combines a beautiful room with chef Lek Trirattanavatin’s delectable food, which hails from the Isaan and Lanna regions of Thailand. Just as in Café Hanoi, there’s a hint of the tropics in the light filtering through timber blinds, but the Cheshire team has dialled down the colour to a soft palette of neutrals with pale timber, wicker booths and ceramic pendants.

It’s as if the interiors have been designed as a cool counterpoint to the wonderfully tasty food.

Saan, 160 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland

*Custom furniture by Ben Glass Furniture Design.

Photos by: David Straight.

Latest video features

In the Coromandel, a home with a humble profile and a thoughtful design makes the most of a stunning location.

Built with awe-inspiring attention to detail, this Arrowtown home is a fresh interpretation of a familiar Otago rural vernacular.

This sculptural Northland bach is a perfect north arrow on a remote farm high above the sea.

With the sun on its bow and the community at its stern, this is a house in which the elements are always front of mind.

Trending articles

Design News

Sculptural escarpment

The long, low form of the 2025 Coastal Home of the Year appears to emerge from the base of a daunting cliff face at Onetangi

Bathrooms

Asymmetry & artefact

A fruitful collaboration between Plumbline and sculptor Gidon Bing has resulted in an alluring new vessel — an artistic centrepiece that speaks beautifully of New

Home of the Year

Rural craft

Mid-century with a modern interpretation, this family home just outside of Whangarei is a jewel-box on an expansive country site.