42.201P Kome Izakaya
Country: RussiaCity: Irkutsk
Square: 143 m 2
Year: 2025
photo by Svetlana Svetlakova
The two-level Kome Izakaya space was supposed to become a spot of Japanese gastronomy in Siberia. The restaurant reflects the wabi-sabi philosophy reinterpreted in a contemporary context. Beauty in imperfection, organic shapes of objects and natural materials presented in the interior create an atmosphere of calm and harmony.
Just as, following the restaurant’s concept, traditional Japanese cuisine is supplemented with local ingredients, our task was to create an interior that embodies respect for Japanese culture and traditions and is filled with Siberian warmth. It was both crucial and complicated to protect building’s historic status and we preserved the original brickwork of the walls and wooden floor structures—key structural elements—thereby highlighting the history of the objects and the natural passage of time, precious aspects of wabi-sabi.
Surfaces throughout the interior is the main design instrument for bringing wabi-sabi philosophy into the space where Japanese hospitality entwines Siberian soul. Aged plaster walls, tactile wooden surfaces, stone elements refer to natural beaty and imperfection. Wall sconces and decorative elements symbolically evoke grains of rice, referencing the restaurant’s name. Canvases onto which various natural and cultural motifs are projected are the author’s interpretation of noren, traditional Japanese curtains used for zoning space. As an accent element of the interior, these elegant canvases bring natural dymanics and make space light and airy.
Just as, following the restaurant’s concept, traditional Japanese cuisine is supplemented with local ingredients, our task was to create an interior that embodies respect for Japanese culture and traditions and is filled with Siberian warmth. It was both crucial and complicated to protect building’s historic status and we preserved the original brickwork of the walls and wooden floor structures—key structural elements—thereby highlighting the history of the objects and the natural passage of time, precious aspects of wabi-sabi.
Surfaces throughout the interior is the main design instrument for bringing wabi-sabi philosophy into the space where Japanese hospitality entwines Siberian soul. Aged plaster walls, tactile wooden surfaces, stone elements refer to natural beaty and imperfection. Wall sconces and decorative elements symbolically evoke grains of rice, referencing the restaurant’s name. Canvases onto which various natural and cultural motifs are projected are the author’s interpretation of noren, traditional Japanese curtains used for zoning space. As an accent element of the interior, these elegant canvases bring natural dymanics and make space light and airy.
