Stick N Maki restaurant Share this professional

Interior Design Project Info

This Japanese yakitori restaurant and lounge is refurbished from an old shop lot in TTDI which comprises of 3 floors. While the Ground floor is designed as a chic restaurant targeted at the family crowd with a yakitori chef counter, the first floor is designed as a yakitori lounge for hip, lifestyle goers and a sophisticated crowd who seek lounging areas for gatherings with friends while enjoying unique sakes and gourmet Japanese fusion yakitori. The second floor is designed with offices and staff rest areas.
The concept is to move away from the stereotyped japanese language of minimalist wood look and to create a relaxed yet bolder space which offers different dining experiences as patrons move from floor to floor. When we first received the client's brief and visited site which was during the midst of the covid pandemic peak back in 2021 the shop lots were in sad state with leaking roofs, low ceilings and cluttered rooms.
The facade is revamped and redesigned in a subtle palette of textures and minimalist grey inspired from the colors of natural stones and a small bronze signage. A tinted glass sliding door opens into the ground floor dining area as one is greeted with a minimalist open concept plan with a long feature wall on the left and curved white ceiling. The feature wall is inspired by large round sculptural panels inspired by the autumn moon to tie in with the branding of autumn flowers of the restaurant. A chef yakitori bar counter is designed at the far end so that the main dining area is spacious and opens up to fit higher capacity.
The mood changes as one approaches the enclosed stairs to the first floor. From the clean-lined dining look the ambience gradually changes to a dramatic space filled with regal yet playful elements. As one moves up the stairs a feature wall with 1800's Victorian artwork collages of regal queens, horse carriages and castles coupled with a bold deep red ceiling leads one to the first floor entrance. The foyer then changes as one enters the more casual laid-back yakitori lounge with cyber-funk neon colors paired with raw brick textures, emerald green velvets and persimmon red chairs. We wanted to create a dramatic shift of space with elements of surprises and urban chic accents to offer a vastly different dining experience at this floor.
Again moving away from the typical musculine themed lounge we wanted a concept which is inspired by chic feminine colors and touches. As one enters the lounge one is greeted with the Birkin Bag red feature wall. This feature wall is inspired by the premium alligator leather of the Birkin handbag as we juxtaposed a cross-over palette of bold fashion elements with urban textures and pop colors of pinks and purples. The Birkin red wall and ceiling is designed as a curved wrap to create a nook of lounge seats with velvet green and persimmon red chairs and black marble low tables. The mood is dark and punctuated by spotlights and ambience cove lights.
A centre bar counter is designed adjacent where one can choose to dine or have drinks over the black stoned bar counter. The bar shelf is designed with a palette of black perforated metals, bronze detailing and a dark concrete look tone. On the other side a more vibrant and young nook is designed with a reflective half moon mirrored wall and high chair dining tables. Designed with an adjustable color ranging from sunset orange to neon pink the lighting ambience of this area can be adjusted to suit different theme and function. The neon pink lights are continued into the newly designed washrooms which is done in a raw, concrete grey with concealed adjustable neon color lights. Here the wash basin features artisanally crafted mother of pearl stone hooks in organic shapes for patrons to hang their bags or belongings
The lounge features 3 VIP private dining rooms. These are deisgned with movable wall panels so that rooms can be combined or opened up to cater to different events' capacity, ranging from 12-pax to 30 pax functions. The rooms could also spill out to the lounge areas to create more flexibility for larger functions.
One of the challenges of this project is to retrofit the new programs, concept and layout of the restaurant, lounge, office and back of house areas into the existing structure of the shop lot. The original space was narrow and dimly lit with a lack of windows and low ceilings. Many restrictions from structural, M&E and acoustic aspects were successfully addressed through detailed study with materials and building techniques. Acoustic panels were installed in the form of graphics sculpture to address major reverberance issues. Overall the project was successfully delivered in its aspiration to transform the space from an old shop lot storage office into a new contemporary dining and lounge space retrofitting new programs, functions, concept and a new face lift within tight time constraints while working under strict pandemic conditions.

Interior Design Works Included

Interior Design Project Areas

After Photos

Before Photos