COVETED MAGAZINE PAGE 141.
designer, Pascale Girardin, a Montreal-based ceramic artist and the
Philadelphia based textile designer Isabella Amstrup.
The duo’s vision for the space is a continuation of their story of
Japanese craft. This exploration of materiality is a reflection of
Chef Nobu’s inventive, non-traditional cuisine: the quality and
translucency of the fish, the composition of colour and texture
in each dish, and the blending of Japanese and Peruvian cuisines.
On the ground floor and cellar level of the historic building, Nobu’s
design connects old and new. The ground floor features a bar,
lounge, and informal dining area, an interior landmark, the 4,500
SF space is framed by heroic Botticino marble columns, a 30’ high
ceiling and polished limestone flooring. For the bar and lounge
area, Rockwell conceived a design influenced by the Japanese art
of calligraphy. Bronze, glass table and floor lamps merge modern
Japanese design with art deco influences. A delicate ash wooden
sculpture designed by Rockwell Group, hand-carved and realised
by New York artist John Houshmand depicts a swirl of watery
Sumi-e ink suspended in mid-air. The dining area is organised into
a series of experiences connected by an undulating wooden canopy
inspired by kirigami, a type of origami involving the folding and
cutting of paper. Abstracted ash trees, inspired by Nobu’s original
location, seem to support the canopy.
The main dining room is flanked by a sushi bar towards the back
of the space and a semi-private dining room behind the stair,
featuring plush banquette seating upholstered in custom fabrics
with Japanese patterns in a rich Peruvian colour. The shelves in
the 13-seat sushi bar are filled with handmade ceramic sake carafes
by Girardin. All in all, Nobu Downtown is definitely a wonderful
and cultural experience that you must add to your must-visit list.
PROJECTS //
