Client: N43 LLC Venture/Shinji Muramoto

Overview

The owner of Sushi Muramoto required a plan that was open, sophisticated, and contemporary. The storefront for the restaurant expresses a bold simplicity; with glass displays embedded within cedar clad columnar elements. A cor-ten steel plated entry door draws the eye, and provides an element of color as the patina develops over time. The understated exterior presence is a vivid contrast to the market retail concept in the immediate context.

Goals

The painted mural behind the sushi bar was to provide colorful contrast to the simple layout and architectural elements. The image evokes the topography of the owner's native Japan in the abstract. The screen wall between the dining and bar area is the primary architectural feature of the interior. The exterior was to set off against the otherwise undifferentiated outdoor mall facades, with glass vitrines creating a jewel-box effect, drawing the eye and providing a horizontal visibility to the interior at night.

Process

Through many iterations, some with back bar shelving and without, it was ultimately decided to have an unfettered flat wall without architectural detail for the mural. It was felt that too much shadowing and functional shelving would detract from the vibrancy of the image, with the bold red color drawing the eye from the outside at night and upon entry.