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Blarney Chithunzi Chamkati cha Bwalo la Ayirishi ndi Khofi by Tetsuya Matsumoto

Blarney Chithunzi Chamkati cha Bwalo la Ayirishi ndi Khofi by Tetsuya Matsumoto is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Mphoto ya Bronze ya A' Design Award in Mapangidwe a Mkati mwa Nyumba ndi Mawonekedwe Competition Category.


BronzeMkati· 2025

Blarney Chithunzi Chamkati cha Bwalo la Ayirishi ndi Khofi

by Tetsuya Matsumoto

Client: The Blarney Stone

Mphoto ya Bronze ya A' Design Award Winner in Mkati Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #169985

Colors

The Design

About Blarney Chithunzi Chamkati cha Bwalo la Ayirishi ndi Khofi

Blarney ndi kapangidwe kamkati ka bwalo la zakumwa la Ayirishi ndi khofi ku Osaka, Japan. Malowa amagwira ntchito kuchokera m'mawa kwambiri mpaka usiku wake. Kabati yakumbuyo kwa kaunta imagwiritsa ntchito zitseko zozungulira zomwe zimasinthana pakati pa mashelefu a zakumwa zoledzeretsa ndi mashelefu a zida za khofi. M'malo mwa zokongoletsera zachikhalidwe zolemera, pamakhala zojambula za mtundu umodzi (monochrome) zojambulidwa mwachindunji pamakoma, zosonyeza zizindikiro za chikhalidwe cha Ayirishi ndiponso matanthauzo a zikwangwani zodziwika bwino. Matebulo onse ali ndi kutalika kofanana ndi kaunta ya bala kuti agwirizane ndi malo opapatiza. Mtunda wonse wa pansi ndi mamita a lalikulu 70.78.

The Recognition

About the Mphoto ya Bronze ya A' Design Award

Blarney Chithunzi Chamkati cha Bwalo la Ayirishi ndi Khofi ndi mmodzi mwa opambana a Mphoto ya Bronze ya A' Design Award, kuzindikirika kolemekezeka kwambiri komwe kumaperekedwa kwa mapangidwe abwino kwambiri omwe amaonekera ndi luso lolenga, kuchenjera ndi nzeru zakuthwa. Opambana a Bronze ndi zinthu zaluso kwambiri ndi zolenga modabwitsa zomwe zimatsimikizira zochitika zazikulu, kulingalira ndi kuchenjera kwa opanga awo. Blarney Chithunzi Chamkati cha Bwalo la Ayirishi ndi Khofi akuyembekezeka kukhala chinthu choyamikiridwa, chosirira ndi chokondedwa, chaukatswiri wapadera ndi chatsopano. Mapangidwe opambana Mphoto ya Bronze ya A' Design Award awa amaphatikiza machitidwe abwino kwambiri a luso, sayansi, kapangidwe ndi ukadaulo ndipo ndi abwino kwambiri chifukwa cha kusamala kwawo zazing'ono. Blarney Chithunzi Chamkati cha Bwalo la Ayirishi ndi Khofi amakwaniritsa zosowa mokongola, kukhudza zilakolako, kukopa mitima ndi kudzutsa chidwi.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties
For its third location as an Irish pub in Osaka, Blarney had to shift its business model to be able to serves customers from early morning to late night. To allow this transition the counter back cabinet uses a system of swinging doors altering between alcoholic beverages and cafe utensils shelves. Compared to a traditional Irish pub the heavy decoration was scraped out and replaced by monochrome art painted directly on the walls of the pub, and representing Irish culture and iconic posters.
Dimensions & Packaging
Gross Built Area: 70.78sqm
W12085mm x D7050mm x H2800mm
Tags
Japan, Osaka, Irish, Pub, Cafe, Flexible, interior, hospitality, bar, art
Production Technology
The walls are made using drywall techniques. They were then divided into three sections. A lower one is finished with cement based material. The middle part is finished in covering sheet with a rusted metal motif. And the upper part is finished in the same grey wall cloth as the ceiling. An indirect light line separates the wall parts. The art was painted directly on the top of the rust metal sheet.
Design Challenge
The middle ground between heavily decorated Irish pub and soft and relaxing atmosphere of a cafe can hardly be determined. Two strategies were adopted. The first is to design a counter back cabinet that showcases both alcoholic beverages and cafe utensils by creating pivoting doors. The second is to abstain from using any kind of traditional decoration and replace it with wall painting inspired by Irish culture elements and iconic posters interpretations.
Research
The project had to deal with a prominent dilemma that is related to its situation. The facility has strict rules that force the shop to open and provide services from early morning to late night. An Irish pub working hours is essentially in the afternoon and evening time, thus the need to convert the space to provide cafe services as well. The research consisted of balancing two different aesthetics of heavy Irish pubs and soft atmosphere of a cafe without loosing function of one or the other.
Inspiration
The bar and cafe cabinet are inspired by traditional furniture and black board signage. And added a twist by allowing them to pivot between the two, uncovering one or the other every time. The art on the wall refers to Irish cultural elements including the Blarney castle, the four leaf clove, the harp and some traditional motifs. The art also interprets some iconic posters for Irish whiskey and Guinness beer.
Project Duration
Project start: June 2023.
Construction starts: April 2024.
Project/Construction End: July 2024.

Location:
Osaka, Japan.
Operation Flow
The shop has an almost trapezoidal shape with two sides open to the corridor shared with all the other restaurants. The closed kitchen is set to be in the corner with two walls. It extends with the counter space along the large wall and ends with the coffee machine space that is placed specifically to serve morning commuters. To avoid awkward positions in the narrow space all tables in the hall are set to the same height as the bar counter.
Team Members
Tetsuya Matsumoto
Image Credits
Image #1: photographer ©Senichiro Nogami, Blarney, 2024.
Image #2: photographer ©Senichiro Nogami, Blarney, 2024.
Image #3: photographer ©Senichiro Nogami, Blarney, 2024.
Image #4: photographer ©Senichiro Nogami, Blarney, 2024.
Image #5: photographer ©Senichiro Nogami, Blarney, 2024.

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