old steel-framed house converts into vibrant restaurant in tokyo

renovation project Uzura converts old house to restaurant 

Designer Kunihiko Matsuba from Tyrant Inc. renovates a small 37-year-old steel-framed two-story house located in a residential area near Shirokane-Takanawa Station in Tokyo, Japan, converting it into a restaurant. A three-meter-high wall coated with mortar finish rises along the boundary of the plot with the road to help isolate the building from the surrounding area. The former parking area in front of the building is turned into a walkway to the entrance and sitting area with tables. Inside the restaurant, the first floor forms a bar-like zone arranging a counter and seats along a kitchen. The second floor distributes tables and sitting spots along some private rooms.

all images by Tomoki Hirokawa

gray tones and bright pinks adorn the interior

A narrow staircase leads to the upper level that appears completely diverse from the former small house. Despite the limited space, the first floor of the restaurant forms an illusion of expansiveness through the integration of pre-existing beams, braces, and ALC -autoclaved aerated concrete- slabs. The designer preserves the pre-existing brick tiles on the earthen floor. The sitting area peeks through the framework’s brace as the counter made of laminated plywood and oakwood mounts over a concrete block. On the ceiling, backlighting is installed along the ceiling’s truss.

A vibrant salmon-pink hue coats the wall that stands adjacent to the steps providing a sense of playfulness. On the second floor, the ceiling conceals insulation materials while an interplay of contrasting mortar flooring and terrazzo tiles, light and dark gray coatings, and salmon pink accents adorn the space. The selected palette of subdued gray tones, extending from the floor to the walls and ceiling contrasts with the vermilion anti-rust coatings and the oak wood accents.

a three-meter-high wall coated with mortar finish rises along the boundary of the plot

the former parking area is turned into a walkway to the entrance and sitting area with tables

the first floor of the restaurant forms an illusion of expansiveness exposing the framework

the sitting area peeks through the framework’s brace as the counter mounts over a concrete block

the project preserves the pre-existing brick tiles on the earthen floor

salmon pink wall appears through the frosted glass partition of the private room

backlighting is installed along the ceiling’s vermilion brace

project info:

name: Uzura
designer: Kunihiko Matsuba – Tyrant Inc. | @tyrant_inc

location: Tokyo, Japan

photography: Tomoki Hirokawa | @hirokawaphotoworks

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edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom