In these days, restaurants are not simply used as a physical space but used as a cultural space in which people can enjoy and experience different cultures and traditional images. Moreover, from the restaurants design elements which help to form the atmosphere of the restaurants which serve food of specific country, we can see the history and traditions of that country. The additional value of the traditional decorative components which are the main factors forming the atmosphere of the restaurant will be different according to the various expressions used in the restaurant space. For this article, 12 restaurants, Norangjugory korean restaurant, Yongsusan korean restaurant, Best well-bing food restaurant, Awoolim, Mugunhwa, Ondal in Korea, and Songhelou, South Beauty, Xuxian restaurant & lounge, Beijing dadong roast duck restaurant, The horizon chinese restaurant, Dynasty jade garden in China, were selected for the field study. This study focused on a comparative analysis of the traditional decorative elements, especially, the application rate of the traditional decorative elements. The analyzed elements are nature, religious beliefs, history and culture for the intangible elements and facade, courtyard, trademark, ground, wall, ceiling, door, window, furniture and adornment for the tangible elements. After that, we analyzed the rates of the use of traditional decorative elements and modern decorative elements. Through the survey result and ratio analysis, we concluded as below.
In Korean restaurant, traditionality is expressed in furnitures while, in Chinese restaurant, traditionality is expressed in decorative pattern. When it comes to the intangible elements among the traditional decorative components of the Korean and Chinese restaurants, Chinese and Korean restaurants have similarities in emphasizing the natural elements. Korean restaurants focus much on the environmentally friendly parts, while Chinese restaurants focus much on the fantastic natural atmospheres like those shown and expressed in the poems. As for religion characteristics, Chinese restaurants emphasize "geomancy" more than Korean restaurant. When it comes to the visible elements among the traditional decorative components of the Korean and Chinese restaurants, in Korean restaurants, the interior part has more traditionality than exterior part, while in Chinese restaurants, the exterior part has more traditionality than the interior part.