Brasserie Restaurant & Lounge in Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto
The new Four Seasons hotel is located in the UNESCO protected area of the temples of Kyoto at the base of the mountains and faces a historical traditional Japanese pond surrounded by a magnificent heritage ikeniwa. Positioned between the arrival lobby and the garden, the restaurant is the core of the public space of the hotel. The architect conceived the space on with a strong architectural strategy by using the Kyoto traditional system to connect indoor to outdoor, creating a large architectural feature that frames the view of the garden.
Designed by Kokaistudios, Brasserie Restaurant & Lounge is the core of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Kyoto. Adjacent to a UNESCO protected area, the new hotel faces a magnificent heritage ikeniwa, Shakusui-Tei.
The designers conceived the space with a strong architectural strategy by using the traditional Kyoto system to connect indoor to outdoor, creating a large architectural feature that frames the view of the garden. The long north facade becomes a transparent diaphragm that transmits light reflected by the pond and trees, creating a contemplative mood inside.
The main restaurant entrance is directly connected to the upper level lobby through a special staircase designed as a sculptural milestone to lead guests down to the dramatic double-height lounge.
The second, more private entrance for hotel guests, is located near the lift lobby, where a stone garden was designed in cooperation with Japanese artist Ramon Todo.
The lounge area welcomes guests in a spectacular space with nine-meter high ceilings, a central fire place and a custom-made carpet with a three-dimensional ripple effect typical of traditional Kyoto Zen gardens.
In the center of the restaurant is a Japanese style bar. The counter is a pure mass of stone carved with Japanese craftsmanship, finished with a massive wooden table 15 meters long.
On the side of the bar is a more private area for fine dining, completed by banquette seats conceived as bamboo nests where guests can appreciate a full view of the garden while maintaining a strong sense of intimacy.
The design of this project is a new step in Kokaistudios' method of combining a strong architectural approach to the design of interiors with an original use of materials and light to create unexpected subtle emphatic feeling between the space and the people.
Handcrafted materials, shaped and controlled to the finest detail, interact and interplay with both the day and night lighting schemes.
Stone surfaces were hand hammered to make them visually and tactilely soft; wooden surfaces were treated in the same methodology as the traditional outdoor timbers; special metal materials were developed in cooperation with Japanese craftsmen in order to reveal artistic effects.
