Astet Studio references Tokyo isakayas at Mitsu restaurant in London
Contemporary Shoji screens and hanging fabrics have been used to evoke Tokyo izakayas at the Mitsu Japanese restaurant in London.
The recently opened restaurant in Shoreditch, east London, was designed by Barcelona-based Astet Studio to reflect Japan's street culture and urban nightlife.
In particular, the studio wanted to create the feel of an izakaya – a type of informal Japanese bar.
"Our intention was for the restaurant to be perceived as an izakaya tavern that has evolved over the years: a lived-in and warm space, yet still with a vibrant energy," Astet Studio co-founder Ala Zreigat told Dezeen.
The exterior of Mitsu features concrete panels resembling the charred and aged Yakisugi, an ancient Japanese technique for preserving wood.
Guests arrive through an outdoor area referencing a Tsuboniwa, a Japanese courtyard garden, into a corridor of LED arches, through to the main bar area, where ceiling-height drapes and a blackened steel structure create the illusion of a floating bar.
The eight-metre-long hand-painted fabrics above the bar area, featuring sake motifs, are a nod to Noren, a traditional fabric that hangs above the entrances of izakaya's.
"Suspended above the diners, these fabric pieces create an enveloping micro-space that expands and contracts within the interior," said Astet Studio co-founder Oscar Engroba.
Astet Studio used both Japanese cultural references and urban design elements to blend the restaurant's cuisine with its vibrant east London setting.
Traditional shoji screens, reinterpreted as large backlit panels integrated into the walls and above dining booths, radiate a soft red glow across the dining spaces.
Inspired by the Japanese concept of Utsuroi, adaptive lighting and blinds have been used across the space to transition the restaurant from day to night.
The colour red forms a theme across the restaurant, evoking the vivid street lamps and signage across Tokyo at night.
"The evolving intensity and colour temperature of light recall the atmosphere of Tokyo’s streets at night, where neon signs tint the city in constantly shifting hues," Zreigat said.
The restaurant also houses a selection of Japanese design pieces and collectables, including Kokeshi dolls, records, ceramics and Taru, traditional sake barrels.
"The aim was to preserve the informal character of an izakaya, as if the place had always existed in that location," Engroba explained. "A space where the owner might have gradually gathered objects over time, creating a layered patina of history within the restaurant."
Contrasting with the bar area's red colour palette, the main dining area is defined by the warmer golden tones of timber joinery, textured wallpaper and soft lighting.
The space features an open Robata kitchen framed and elevated within the space, which, according to Engroba, "reinforces the diner's connection to the culinary experience".
Large timber columns create dining nooks with neutral banquette seating, whilst miniature rice paper table lamps, again, nod to the restaurant's Japanese theme.
Other Japanese restaurants featured on Dezeen include Keiji Ashizawa-designed Loca Niru and a low-lit fusion restaurant by Kelly Wearstler.
The photography is by Stevie Campbell.
The post Astet Studio references Tokyo isakayas at Mitsu restaurant in London appeared first on Dezeen.
