This restaurant invites you in by displaying its kitchen!

By Rutvi Ashar

Photography: Steve Herud; courtesy Concrete

Read Time: 2 mins 

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Concrete brings us a brand new Japanese watering hole and dining experience at Izakaya in Hotel Roomers, Munich.

Hotel Roomers in Munich stands out for its Japanese restaurant, Izakaya in an incredibly unique way. The restaurant announces its presence via its show kitchen visible through the glass facade of the porte-cochere. This kitchen block continues inside the lobby as a jewellery case covered in gold mirror – also the restaurant’s main entrance!

 

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Black and gold dominate the colour palette here with a contrasting feature of light wooden lamellas along the ceiling and wall. Gold cladding uplifts the space especially through the backlit bar top, with a warm yellow marble finish that makes every drink sparkle. While the bar is a highlight element, one cannot miss the show-stopper i.e. the oversized wooden Koi-carp lamp. Typically Japanese, this lamp would’ve probably overpowered the design had it not been so dynamic!

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Seating zones are created by introducing silk-printed rotating panels that are also black mirrors and level changers. The rotating panels serve many purposes: they can either connect or separate the space depending on the angle of rotation. While on one side, a Japanese-inspired artwork on silkscreen by artist Gijs Scholten anoints it; the other side is clad with a black mirror with different settings. In the early evening, the whole space can appear as one; while during the after-hours, the bar can be cordoned off to establish a darker and cosy mood that lasts deep into the night. This element helps the space adapt to its clients allowing for a truly transformable experience.

 

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A great amount of detail is encountered in the seating: the semi-circular booths, loose tables, a long communal table, the bar and a sushi counter… all are treated individualistically and are yet, woven together by the backlit rice paper wall and golden mirror cladding with rhythmic lamella overlays that make Izakaya.

Fact File:

Client: GGCH / Gekko Group

Design Firm: Concrete

Design Team: Rob Wagemans, Tobias Koch, Nuria Ripoll, Kasia Heijerman, Marlou Spierts, Johanna Zychski, Maike Daemen, Mark Haenen, Hilka Ackermann, Ulrike Lehner, Sofie Ruytenberg, Zana Josipovic

Area: 325 sq. m (3498.27 sq. ft.)

Location: Munich, Germany