Celebrity Style

Michael Chow Tells AD What Inspired the Designs of His Homes and Restaurants

The artist and restaurateur swears by one interesting motto
This image may contain Michael Chow Tie Accessories Accessory Clothing Apparel Suit Coat Overcoat Jacket and Blazer
 Michael Chow is best known as the founder of Mr. Chow restaurants, but he has also been an actor and a painter, and is an avid art collector.Photo:  Ryan Miller/WireImage

Michael Chow is predominantly known as the founder of the world-renowned Mr. Chow restaurants. But the famed restaurateur (who now goes by just "M") is an artist at heart, starting as an actor before diving into the fine arts world and becoming a talented painter. It was this inherent creativity he took into the culinary world, establishing some of the most stunning (not to mention delicious) eateries in the world. M's success in that realm allowed him to continue embracing his artistic and design-related passions, ultimately becoming a master collector, hosting a solo show of his work at age 72, and building a museum-like home in Los Angeles (which is currently on the market for $69.9 million).

Architectural Digest got the chance to catch up with the 80-year-old recently to learn a bit more about his true loves, very deliberate aesthetic choices in his seven restaurants, and why he lives by the motto "difficult, expensive, and heavy is good."

Architectural Digest: Where does your passion for art and design come from?

Michael Chow: I'm a painter. I'm an artist. A long time ago, I started my career as an artist, and then I went to theater. I got into the restaurant industry later.

M, SUMMER, A Wedding Bell for All Seasons, 2019, One Breath Series, 7’ x 4’ x 1"

Photo: Fredrik Nilsen

AD: What's your approach to design when it comes to your restaurants?

MC: Find the focus piece. When you write a book, you have a theme, right? It's the same with design. Once you find that focus piece, everything serves that focus. The mistake that people make is that they try to do everything and forget about the focus. The rest is all functional. I also like to approach architecture with my head. Many architects use their eyes. But things like sound are also very important. The smell is very important too. You need to use the whole head. You should sit in a space and meditate. God will reward you with inspiration.

AD: What are some of your favorite decor, design, or architectural elements in your restaurants?

MC: I am always very big on the ceiling. Why waste the ceiling? In the Renaissance, you either decorate the walls, the ceiling, or the floor, right? In my Miami restaurant, there is an incredible silver-lit ceiling that's 240 feet long, so we installed a 150-foot contemporary chandelier with gold leaf to emphasize the length of it. At the Caesar's Palace Mr. Chow, there is an incredible ceiling, and a long time ago I was moved by the spaceship in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. That moment transcends me. So I installed what I call a moon there that opens up like a flower and comes down. Tribeca also has a very nice ceiling. I installed pieces of acrylic that imitate crystal with light coming through it.

Mr. Chow in Miami.

Courtesy of Mr. Chow

AD: Obviously, you love ceilings.

MC: I go to ceilings because other people don't. They decorate the wall with some wallpaper. I'm using what some might see as the weakness architecturally and highlighting it. I also want every bathroom to have a window. Having a view is important, and the design of bathrooms is often overlooked. I'm always told that it will be difficult, but I always say if it's difficult, expensive, and heavy, then it will be good.

AD: This love of art, design, and architecture is something you've carried into your personal life as well, like with your home in Holmby Hills.

MC: That was my passion project at one period of my life. I contracted everything and oversaw every detail. It took me three and a half years to build because of that.

AD: How did you approach the design of your new home?

MC: I just bought a place from Katy Perry that was before owned by Aileen Getty. It's a two-and-a-half-acre compound, with two houses near Runyon Canyon, and the foundation is really good. The walls are thick, and the stonework was beautifully done. It reminds me of Florence. So there's not much I need to do.

AD: What's your process for finding pieces for your personal collection?

MC: I am the greatest collector because I collect everything. I collect old doorknobs, Chinese antiquities, portraiture, and the greatest furniture ever. I just collect, what can I say?

AD: What are you into right now?

MC: Right now, I'm collecting Brazilian furniture because it's fantastic furniture.

AD: Do you have a favorite piece in your collection?

MC: Yeah, my own work. I've got a 55,000-square-foot studio. I'm always creating. You have to just come and experience it.