Located on a business street inside a private residential district in Fuzhou, China, Haneda Japanese Restaurant is a prestigious fine dining destination serving a niche community in the neighborhood. Having been working with the developer Hairun Real Estate Co. Ltd. for a number of award-winning show flat and sales office projects, Kris Lin, design director of Kris Lin Interior Design, was given a totally free hand to design this restaurant.

Facing a rather linear layout with a total area of 6,000 sq.-ft., an approximately 16-ft.-high ceiling, and many structural columns, Lin decided at the very beginning that this restaurant should be endowed with absolute peace and tranquility. “I wanted to create a Zen space for this restaurant,” he says. “It’s like the ‘harmony’ concept of Yin and Yang in Tai Chi. In this project, I have made use of different combinations of materials to represent the contrast between the dynamic and static state.”

Lin interpreted the concepts of dynamic and static by using a few very simple but characteristic materials: steel, cement, laminated wood, and gray stone from Jerusalem. Cement was applied in an alternating coarse and smooth pattern as the overall wall treatment, which represents a calm and quiet condition. On the other hand, steel tubes of varying thickness were delicately fabricated as semi-open partitions to the two VIP rooms, as well as the artistic installations in combination with the lighting fixtures on the ceiling and candleholders by the columns. The extensive layers and patterns compose a dynamic rhythm that energizes the restaurant.

According to Lin, this dynamic and static state is contrasting yet coordinated. While the floor was paved with Jerusalem gray stone, whose tone echoes that of the cemented walls, six semi-partitions made of walnut balance the cold, stony feeling. At the main entrance, a raw stone with water slowly flowing through portrays a silent movement that brings vitality to the space. Even the suspending steel candle racks with exquisite details were designed to be integrated into the whole space. “The candle racks are not used as a ‘cover-up’ of the columns,” explains Lin, “They are part of the design.”

Dignified and elegant, this restaurant demonstrates a refined quality that is not the result of any luxurious finishes, but instead reflects the designer’s unique talent of turning humble materials into beautiful works of art. “We only used some simple materials, such as cement and steel, but we made use of their different textures, proportions, and compositions to create different ‘expressions,’” Lin concludes.

Amid the hustle and bustle of the city, the Haneda Japanese Restaurant provides a calm and serene atmosphere that makes people feel peace—at least for a short but enjoyable dining experience.

who
Project: Haneda Japanese Restaurant. Client: Hairun Real Estate Co. LTD. Interior designer: Kris Lin. Photographer: Yaodong Zhou.

where
Location: Fuzhou, China. Total floor area: 6,000 sq. ft. No. of floors: 1.