NATURALLY NOBU
Globe-spanning hospitality juggernaut Nobu has become equally synonymous with its excellent sushi, as it has its slick interiors. With 32 restaurants (plus hotels) around the world, including hotspots in Miami, London and Tokyo, Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa’s eponymous Japanese restaurant has finally arrived in Sydney. Severine Tatangelo, pictured above, and her Californiabased design firm Studio PCH are responsible for the interiors, challenged with the task of creating a restaurant space that reflects each different location while also working cohesively with the brand and its signature Japanese aesthetic. It’s a job she’s familiar with, designing interiors for Nobu since 2006.
When it came to designing Sydney’s Nobu, Tatangelo and her team wanted to imbue a strong sense of place. “Whenever we start working on a project, the first step is to get a feel for the local habits. You don’t want to repeat the same design,” she says. Working with the space’s grand ceiling height and inspired by the proximity to the Harbour and the relaxed style of Sydneysiders, the Studio PCH team began renders, working on the process from September 2018 through to completion. “We really wanted to create a connection and continuity between the restaurant and the water,” says Tatangelo. “We also based [the layout] on the culture of Sydney. People hang out – so the bar is a centrepiece.” The team also used this height and space to create a sense of ceremony for each guest’s arrival. “When you’re going to Nobu, you want to create something special, and it’s a celebration. We want to enhance this experience.”
While traditional Japanese interior aesthetics often focus on simplicity, this balancing act between subtlety and grandeur is one of the trickiest parts of nailing the Nobu brief. “Simplicity isn’t easy. Especially when you’re designing restaurants – you don’t want to be austere and feel like a church – it’s a restaurant, you want a mood, and to make it energetic.”
To this end you’ll find shapes influenced by Japanese origami, a wooden slat-encased omakase bar and three private dining rooms. “When you arrive at your table, you will already have all your emotions enhanced by the space. Visually and physically.
It’s our job to create this journey throughout the space, before you even get to your table.”
Crown Sydney, Barangaroo, Sydney, NSW, noburestaurants.com