Interior Design
Designed by SALT Tokyo in collaboration KKS International, Yagura cleverly combines modern Japanese with traditional design décor playing heavily on the elements.
The 2,200 sq.ft space has two different design themes; one stylish and contemporary with heavy use of polished and natural granite, marble mosaic, solid ash and tempered glass, and the other traditional “Izakaya” style in décor but with a modern touch through the use of bamboo, plaster, solid walnut and granite.
Within the restaurant are five individual eating and design ‘spaces’, all conducted by a ‘Roji’ corridor - “a very narrow pathway between houses during the Edo period (1603-1867)” in Japanese, and segregated thoughtfully with subtle lighting.
On entering the restaurant from the ground floor Nathan Road entrance of the Eaton Hotel, the face of Yagura is a glass and ash veneer checkered wall and Noren – a traditional Japanese fabric.
Stepping inside, the first of the five ‘spaces’ is revealed as the The Sushi Counter Area, inspired by one of the restaurants signature dishes - Creative Sushi Rolls. This circular bar, which seats 18, is finished with a polished rusty granite surrounded by the prominent checkered patterned façade wall.
To the left of the sushi counter is a Ko-Agari area. Set on an elevated wooden ash floor with modern Japanese Style furnishings, the Ko-Agari table is made of solid wood with a small moss garden is located in the corner of the room.
To the right of the entrance is the General Seating Yagura zone. The key features here are wooden columns and beams. The wooden columns and artistic wooden dividers give diners a sense of privacy and creates a distinct feeling between the Sushi, Ko-Agari and Yagura areas. A backlit Sake bottle cabinet, which stores up to a hundred bottles of Sake adds a funky design element to this otherwise simple wood zone.
In addition to the Sake cabinet, is a Wine Bar which can accommodate up to ten people is located within the general Yagura space. The Wine Bar has a fish tank built-in to a feature walnut wall behind the bar and a drop ceiling made of bamboo adding an element of nature to the serenity of the overall restaurant theme.
Directly next to the Yagura area is the semi private room which can accommodate up to 10 people. This room can be isolated by a wooden framed sliding wall. Inside the room, a drop ceiling is made from ‘Ajiro’ is weaved with bamboo skin and a feature plaster wall frames the bench seating.
Yagura seamlessly blends contrast with tradition and offers a unique Japanese dining experience, “we have designed the layout to reflect tradition with a contemporary edge and want the restaurant to be as much of an experience as the food” concludes Takayuki ITO.