TOP 10 restaurant and retail interiors of 2014

TOP 10 restaurant and retail interiors of 2014

the last twelve months has seen a host of bold and innovative architectural interiors completed across the globe. with more and more companies understanding the importance of an appealing and engaging setting, architects and designers are being asked to apply their skills to the medium of interior design. consequently, established architects such as tadao ando and bjarke ingels are working at a smaller scale, improving the architecture of the semi-public realm. from soy sauce stores in tokyo to south american restaurants in copenhagen, we’ve rounded up ten of the most interesting restaurant and retail interiors that caught our eye in 2014.

snow picnic ice cream store by torafu architects

photo by takumi ota

earlier this year, japanese studio torafu architects redesigned the interior of a colorful and welcoming ice cream store in tokyo’s nakano ward. titled ‘snow picnic’, the scheme allows customers to watch their order being prepared, with the kitchen and adjacent counter envisioned as a stage upon which the meticulous performance takes place.

kayanoya soy sauce shop by kengo kuma

image © sadao hotta

renowned japanese architect kengo kuma completed the interior renovation of the kayanoya shop in tokyo, a soy sauce manufacturer who has been in the industry for more than 120 years. the design reproduces the company’s traditional warehouse in kyushu, southern japan, with wooden barrels used in the production process elevated to ceiling level, and trays used for making koji (malt rice) presenting the items for sale.

BIBO restaurant in hong kong

photo by red dog

a french restaurant in hong kong has been furnished with works of street art from renowned designers – a collaboration between anonymous project coordinator BIBO and creative design agency substance. inside, installations by invader, JR and mr brainwash are accompanied by hangings from banksy, damien hirst and daniel arsham offering diners a new way to experience art. the space has also become a studio for new work, with creatives from around the world invited to undertake independent projects.

saint laurent store by hedi slimane

image © saint laurent

luxury fashion label saint laurent has opened a new store in the italian city of milan, with interiors designed by the brand’s creative director hedi slimane. continuing the refined style of saint laurent’s other flagship outlets, the scheme boasts highly polished marble surfaces, interrupted with a series of reflective and transparent furnishings. a central staircase clad with vertical slats is found at the heart of the volume, surrounded by carefully positioned display units and cantilevered seating that protrudes from the structure’s marbled walls.

backyard retail space by nendo

image © masaya yoshimura

uniting elements from both domestic and commercial notions of the ‘backyard’, nendo has created the retail scheme for ‘backyard by | n’  located in the seibu sogo department stores across japan. while the name refers to two distinct concepts — a shop’s storage space and an outdoor site for free play — the interior plan reflects these approaches through its use of material and color.

llama restaurant by bjarke ingels + jakob lange

image courtesy kilo / cofoco

this year, BIG partners bjarke ingels and jakob lange collaborated with kilo founder lars larsen and creative director jonas hartz in completing ‘llama’ – a new dining establishment in the danish capital of copenhagen. working alongside food group cofoco, the restaurant offers its diners south american cuisine with a menu that features ceviches, anticuchos and uruguayan-style meats.

home cafés by penda

image courtesy of penda

in beijing, architecture and design studio penda completed the interior of a local café using recycled steel bars to serve as modular dividers. commissioned by property developers hongkun, the scheme introduces an area of greenery within the city’s heavily polluted atmosphere – intended to serve as a precedent that will encourage other chinese cities to implement similarly green proposals.

duvetica showroom by tadao ando

photo by orsenigo chemollo

in 2011, tadao ando designed the milan flagship store for duvetica. three years later in celebration of its tenth anniversary the venetian company, specializing in featherlight down jackets, has once again asked the japanese architect to realize a new milan showroom for them, as well as an extension to the previous retail space he conceived for them in via santo spirito, 22.

izakaya kinoya restaurant by jean de lessard

photo © adrien williams

earlier in 2014, canadian designer jean de lessard transformed the interiors of a japanese restaurant in downtown montreal. the project explores the interactions that occur between diners at eating establishments, seating guests in an intimate and enclosed environment. this notion of confinement is further manifested through the restaurant’s internal façades which take on fractal geometries through angled planes.

denim  R&D studio by zemberek design office

photo by şafak emrence

this research and design studio for a textile company in turkey has been configured to encourage and facilitate a dynamic system of working. completed by zemberek design office, the concept for the interior is built on the interaction between the users of the space (R & D personnel), and the items and accessories on display.