Sushi Koji Restaurant by Ryuji Kojo and Toshihiro Obata is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 Bronze A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design Competition Category.
BronzeInterior· 2024
Sushi Koji Restaurant
by Ryuji Kojo and Toshihiro Obata
Client: Sushi koji
Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Interior Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #152864The Design
About Sushi Koji Restaurant
This sushi restaurant uses an abundance of natural materials. The design was inspired by the owner's warm personality and his attitude as a craftsman. The counter was made of ginkgo and padouk wood, cut with a custom blade and finished smooth to the edges, and scraps were used for the sushi board. Chairs made of local cypress were designed to highlight the grain of the wood. Washi on the walls was made from processed mulberry, and organic patterns were created by pouring Gofun on the paper during the papermaking process. These elements creating an atmosphere that can only be felt here.
The Recognition
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Sushi Koji Restaurant is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Sushi Koji Restaurant is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Sushi Koji Restaurant splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Interviews
Design Interview
What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
Our design principle is to derive mental experiences from physical experiences. Specifically, this includes:
・Experiences of visitors or users
・Movements and scale of the human body
・Relationship between the human body and materials
・Perception of spatial scale
・Aura emitted by the forms
What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
We particularly focused on the physical experience of the guests in our design. In a space of just about 23 square meters, we have created a unique spatial and dining experience. To achieve this, we have planned pathways from the entrance towards the seating area where guests change their orientation several times before heading towards their seats, with the head chef welcoming them directly from the front. Additionally, we have meticulously manipulated the heights of various elements. Furthermore, we have focused on the materials used, including handmade Japanese paper (washi) that we specifically crafted for this project.
What are your future plans for this award winning design?
We plan to design new seating areas on the second floor in the future.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- The sushi restaurant was designed using natural materials. There is only an 8-seat counter where guests can enjoy the sushi while watching the chef's work. The scrap ginkgo wood used for the countertop was utilized for the sushi board and cutting board. Chairs designed with the grain of the wood in mind, walls covered with original Washi, and signboards made of maple plates dyed by iron mordant not only reduce the waste of resources, but also create a healing effect with the use of solid wood.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Floor space 24 m2
- Tags
- Interior, Restaurant, Sushi, Material, Japan, Fukuoka
- Production Technology
- Avoiding the use of industrial products as much as possible, original handmade Washi and solid wood were used as the main materials. Washi on the walls was made by processing mulberry, and organic patterns were created by pouring gofun (Japanese powdered pigment) during the papermaking process. The countertops were cut with a custom blade to smooth the edges, and the chairs made of local cypress were joined with double mortise and tenon to ensure high strength and durability.
- Design Challenge
- The challenge was to efficiently arrange the seats without making it feel cramped. We placed great importance on the design of "ma", a uniquely Japanese aesthetic that is expressed in Japanese architecture and art. The fan-shaped counters and ceiling design give the impression of spreading endlessly. On the walls with minimal decoration, a single-flower vase is placed, creating a relationship in which the flowers and the blank space enhance each other. People can feel more expansive than area.
- Research
- In working on the project, we considered "design as a brand". We extended the owner's worldview and spatial experience by directing a wide range of tools to communicate the store (brand), such as signage, business cards, and thank-you letters, using a space design approach and some of the materials used.
- Inspiration
- Client is a sushi chef who has worked at many famous restaurants. In designing a sushi restaurant that would open when he became independent, we were inspired by him. To embody his warm personality and his attitude as a craftsman who brings out the flavor of ingredients, we created a space that gently envelops guests with soft materials. The space, created while taking advantage of the original characteristics of materials, will grow in depth with time, fostering an atmosphere only felt here.
- Project Duration
- Completed in December 2022, Fukuoka city, Japan
- Operation Flow
- In order to create the maximum number of seats, the counter is designed fan-shaped. By doing this, creating a space around the entrance that separates it from the seating area, and also creating a gently changing scene in a space of only 24 m2. Guests pass through the door covered with cedar planks, change their minds at the entrance, and arrive at the seating area as if guided by the curved wall. They can enjoy sushi without worrying about the outside or the comings and goings of people.
- Patents
- Copyrights belong to STUDIO MOUN, 2023
- Team Members
- Creative Director : STUDIO MOUN
Architect : Ryuji Kojo + Toshihiro Obata / STUDIO MOUN
Constructor : Yasutsunegumi
Branding Director : Hanae Yoshizaki / H Branding Works
Graphic Designer : Natsuko Saka / TSUTO
Calligrapher : Mikiko Kayama
Lighting Designer : Ryohei Koyama / ModuleX
Washi : Kamisukishikoushitsu
Bespoke Chair : Wataru Sakai - Image Credits
- Image #1-4 : Photographer Toshihisa Ishii / Blitz Studio
Image #5 : Photographer Airi Inoue
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