Tatami Restaurant – Jassim AlShehab

Tatami Japanese Restaurant is located in a business sector, in central Kuwait. The design concept was derived from the integration of planning method “tatami” and the industrial area of ??the city. Thus, sitting areas, lining the walls, the lighting distribution and circulation in a 2:1 ratio is maintained as a design guide.

For design, we decided to use the main facade of the building to the dining area and remove any distracting element area, so the sushi bar was located on the opposite side and the kitchen behind it.

The restaurant offers a mix of materials and textures yet subtle harmony to emphasize and contrast the copper tubes, designed to distribute light to highlight side seating and sushi bar. Along with this are preserved portions of the concrete ceiling and columns that are left untreated, to emphasize the industrial nature of space.

The exterior was designed with a similar color palette to the interior, visually separating the front of the restaurant to access the building. For this, a steel beam columns extended from the front of the building, at a height of 3m, and the bottom of the columns were coated with oxidized metal. Furthermore planters were installed between the columns, defining an outer area for restaurant.