nozomi sushi bar by masquespacio designed as a japanese street
photo © cualiti photo studio
all images courtesy of masquespacio

 

 

 

spanish creative consultancy masquespacio has realized ‘nozomi sushi bar’ in valencia, spain. the project required the studio to develop the branding and interior design for the restaurant of josé miguel herrera and nuria morell, both passionate entrepreneurs and specialists in authentic traditional sushi.

masquespacio nozomi sushi bar japanese street valencia spain designboom
façade view
photo © cualiti photo studio

 

 

 

the process began in january 2014, with the agency studying japanese culture to better represent a succinct identity. the name ‘nozomi’ was chosen by the founders of this project being a ‘japanese high speed bullet train’ and at the same time meaning ‘fulfilled dream’; two significances with which josé miguel and nuria felt embodied a duality continuously present through the whole project: ’emotional classic’ and ‘rational contemporary’. ‘starting with the brand image we can see how this duality is represented on one way as ‘rational contemporary’ through the western typography, while on the other the hiragana (japanese writing) shows the ’emotional classic’ touch through its logo,’ says the studio.

masquespacio nozomi sushi bar japanese street valencia spain designboom
entrance view
photo © cualiti photo studio

 

 

 

in regards to 233 m² interior, the juxtaposition is intensified. a pure state of concrete and grays is mainly present in the most structural parts such as walls, ceilings, and floors. in contrast, a touch of carpentry has been added with its hand finishes and the warmth of natural wood.

masquespacio nozomi sushi bar japanese street valencia spain designboom
lounge village view
photo © cualiti photo studio

 

 

 

arriving to the restaurant you can see how these two aspects attract the attention of guests. walking through the door of the institution, a cube creates two corridors toward the central lounge that incorporates both decorative elements as well as the bathrooms and the warehouse, resulting in a continuous and open flow of circulation. in the aesthetic level, it appears as a japanese village street that has been reinterpreted through different modules, traduced here into a market, pharmacy, doors and windows. the rooftops, in turn, represent country’s architectural details and construction methods.

masquespacio nozomi sushi bar japanese street valencia spain designboom
lounge from sushi bar view
photo © cualiti photo studio

 

 

 

ana milena hernández palacios states: ‘we have been studying photography from the most authentic japanese streets with the aim to create a reinterpretation on a metaphoric way of those streets. during the execution of the project many people has been nominating it as a typical street from kyoto, something that happened mainly because it is where the most traditional japanese houses are preserved today.’

masquespacio nozomi sushi bar japanese street valencia spain designboom
village detail
photo © cualiti photo studio

 

 

 

‘the idea behind the first part of the restaurant is to make the customer live the experience of walking through a japanese street, while he is being stunned by its beauty and getting excited about the construction details of japanese carpentry, before reaching the principal lounge where he could enjoy not only authentic sushi, but at the same time a unique experience below a cherry-tree as if he sits in a japanese courtyard. from his seat each diner looks up at the show created in the sushi bar that reinterprets a traditional sushi peddler, known as the first mobile fast food stall. in the meantime the cherry-tree’s flowers, inspired by the origami, bloom naturally.’

masquespacio nozomi sushi bar japanese street valencia spain designboom
private lounge open view
photo © cualiti photo studio

 

 

 

the private zone allows separate environments for major intimacy, without isolating the diner from the show projected more below and maintaining the shadows generated by the lightings, also inspired by the more minimal japan, highlighting the irregular and unique woodworking.

masquespacio nozomi sushi bar japanese street valencia spain designboom
private lounge semi view
photo © cualiti photo studio

masquespacio nozomi sushi bar japanese street valencia spain designboom
private lounge closed view
photo © cualiti photo studio

masquespacio nozomi sushi bar japanese street valencia spain designboom
private lounge closed view detail
photo © cualiti photo studio

masquespacio nozomi sushi bar japanese street valencia spain designboom
private lounge all open view
photo © cualiti photo studio

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.