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Press Release

Ito Japanese Restaurant

A' Design Award 2023 Bronze Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design

20 April 2023

Ito Japanese Restaurant by Monique Lee
Ito Japanese Restaurant by Monique Lee
Ito Japanese Restaurant by Monique Lee
Ito Japanese Restaurant by Monique Lee
Ito Japanese Restaurant by Monique Lee

Monique Lee · CLIENT: Parkview Green

Ito's shopfront starts with a Karesansui landscape showing bold water current images and bamboo trees. At the entrance is a reception area designed with metallic and natural materials. Walking through the interior, it is a Shiheyan layout. There is an atrium space in the center with private rooms in an earthy tone on its south, east, north, and west corners. Two open kitchens reserved for Robatayak and Teppanyaki cuisines are in the rear part. They are like the open space under the eaves of traditional Japanese houses where families and friends gather and chat during leisure time.

Press Kit

Unique Properties
Design combines Chinese and Japanese garden philosophies. It blends Chinese patterns and Japanese Karesansui landscape. To present traditional concepts in a modern way, decorations combine natural and metallic materials. Interior consists of three sections – The Atrium, Mystery of Nature and the Periphery. The atrium is a courtyard surrounded by several compartments for sensing four seasons. The rear part is a Japanese periphery space for signature Robatayaki and Teppanyaki cuisines.
Dimensions & Packaging
Floor area: 375 square meters.
Tags
Chinese and Japanese garden, Karesansui, Shiheyan, Robatayak, Teppanyaki. Asia Restaurant.
Production Technology
Design emphasizes a balanced form that combines Karesansui landscape techniques with Chinese Siheyuan layout. It also incorporates the idea of artful ceiling designs in ancient architecture, yet reinvent it in modern 3D style. Instead of Japanese washi paper, metals and glasses are used to make screens. Steel, embossed glass, marble stones become key construction materials. Meanwhile, Engineer Wood Flooring technique reduces the use of original hardwood.
Design Challenge
Several independent dining sections are needed within limited interior space. To keep a spacious feeling, corridors and glass screens, instead of solid walls, perform the partitioning function. The pressing feeling resulting from a low roof is overcome by a feature ceiling built with reflective rippled mirror-polished steel which is also a focal point. Metal bars of the feature wall at the shopfront had to be linked and set at specific angles manually which was a process requiring much skill and labor.
Project Duration
The project started in Dec. 2020 in Beijing, China, and finished in Nov 2021. The Restaurant’s location is at Parkview Green FangCaoDi, Chaoyang Dist., Beijing, China.
Operation Flow
To facilitate restaurant’s operation to serve various gathering purposes, interior space is divided into sections with different vibes. Instead of solid partitions, corridors are paved to run through the whole venue to form dining sections. Translucent glass screens are installed to keep privacy of each section while maintaining visual comfort. For quick access, private rooms are located next to the entrance, so visitors could enter the rooms directly without crossing other dining sections.
Research
Information is mainly provided by clients. Meanwhile, we also make use of our experience got from previous design projects executed in Mainland China.
Inspiration
Considering the brand’s feature of serving original Japanese cuisine in Beijing’s Parkview Green renowned as a hub of innovative thinking, design focuses on going beyond traditional Japanese design norms. It presents a distinct Japanese Karesansui - dry landscape. Various shapes are deployed to present a dynamic nature. Chinese garden elements are assimilated to create a different aesthetic appeal. Artful ceilings and metal bamboo screens, instead of washi paper, are products of this concept.
Image Credits
All images: Parkview Green, ITO Restaurant, 2021
Patents
Copyright belongs to Monique Lee, 2020.

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