vermilion origami ceiling unfolds inside inrestudio's sushi restaurant in vietnam 

inrestudio turns old vietnamese house into sushi restaurant

Inrestudio renovates a brick-masonry townhouse to host the Rouge, a sushi restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The project also involves renovating an adjacent building to maximize the number of private rooms and backyard space. The architects aim to embrace the building’s history while making the necessary adjustments required by the new program. Two new boxes, serving as structural buttresses, were inserted to accommodate private rooms while preserving the original brick surfaces. A vermilion origami ceiling, drawing inspiration from Japanese culture, unifies the space. 

all images by Hiroyuki Oki

the rouge’s black-clad interior blends old and new

Repeated renovations have fragmented the space, obscuring its original characteristics. The house’s thick, bare brick walls were exposed after removing additional structures and decorative materials, revealing various traces of the building’s previous uses. Inrestudio inserted two boxes into the high-ceiling building to preserve the existing brick surface, housing multiple uses. These elements function as buttresses and are covered with the same quality brick as the existing construction. The only detail that tells apart the original structure from the additions is a variation in the wall texture, resulting from the difference in their manufacture (the bricks of the new walls were constructed while the old bricks were excavated). The existing walls are rough and exhibit a patchwork pattern with bricks from different eras embedded, whereas the new walls are uniform and subdued. The studio placed three private rooms within the boxes, which are clad with flat and smooth wood panels with openings that allow glimpses of the original brick walls. 

the openings on the wood panels allow glimpses of the original brick walls

vermilion origami ceiling floats above the sushi restaurant

A natural-colored courtyard garden leads from the entrance to a space unified in black, through which a vermilion-painted ceiling emerges. While the dark volumes enhance the relationship to the existing structure through juxtaposition, the red ceiling is an independent element distinct from the entire space. The Japanesque color and shape of the ceiling indicate the use of the space as a sushi restaurant, altering, at the same time, the experience of the schematic spatial composition. The irregular ceiling extends from the entrance, enriches the sequence of the long and narrow hallway between the existing and new walls, and dynamically shapes the private rooms in the attic. Inside the three private rooms, the now-transformed coffered ceiling appears to float, integrating the rails of the movable partitions and contributing to the tranquil atmosphere of the restaurant. 

a vermilion origami ceiling unifies the space

the Japanesque color and shape of the ceiling indicate the use of the space as a sushi restaurant

the only detail that sets apart the original structure from the additions is the variation in the wall texture

the origami transforms into a coffered ceiling inside the three private rooms

the coffered ceiling in the private rooms creates a tranquil ambiance

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the origami ceiling leads the visitors from the entrance to the private rooms in the attic

the vermilion ceiling enriches the sequence of the long and narrow hallway

Inrestudio renovates a brick-masonry townhouse to host the Rouge, a sushi restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

the existing walls are rough and exhibit a patchwork pattern, whereas the new ones are uniform and subdued

a natural-colored courtyard garden leads from the entrance to a space unified in black

project info:

name: The Rouge
architect: Inrestudio | @inrestudio
director: Kosuke Nishijima
design team: Nguyen Thien Thanh
location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
area: 78 sqm (840 sqft)
completion date: July, 2022
client: Sushi Rei 
construction: Tbd Group 
photographer: Hiroyuki Oki

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.

edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom