EMBER

Project name: EMBER, Shenzhen

Location: Kerry Plaza, Shenzhen

Category: restaurant

Area: 200㎡

Interior finishes design: Nature Times Art Design Co., Ltd.

Interior decoration design: Nature Times Art Aesthetics Co., Ltd.

Chief designers: Wei Jinjing, Wei Yaocheng, Zhang Huichao

Designer: Xie Gang

Completion time: 2020

Client: zt hospitality

Construction firm: YCWORK

Lighting consulting: Ding Jie

Graphic design: United Design Lab

Photos: HereSpace

Video: DDCharcoal grille wagyu represents the essence of Japanese traditional cuisine and incorporates aspects of Korean, American, and other cultures’ new styles of modern cuisine. Japanese barbeque (yakiniku) master Kentaro Nakahara perfects his craft in Tokyo, and has created his own exclusive menu of omakase yakiniku dishes that has been praised as the ‘Hermès of the barbeque world’. This project is his third restaurant globally that features this particular menu. Located in Shenzhen’s central business district, it promotes the values of exquisite cuisine and the master chef’s craftsmanship. Based on the deep understanding of the brand’s essence, the design team conceived the restaurant in exactly the right way, with the expectation of conveying its modern Eastern spirit that exemplifies its presence in a globalized era.The restaurant hides under a skyscraper in the clouds and is concealed within a densely layered glass wall. Its logo pattern is shaped like the character yan that resembles a Japanese family crest, showing a low-profile presence from the storefront’s glass door and echoing the tree shadows. The natural greenery and the urban background of reinforced concrete create a mysterious and futuristic atmosphere. A black wall connects with the glass curtain wall. It abandons any fancy patterns or textured decorations, only with a gold and bronze-colored logo on it, to remind passers-by this place’s fine cuisine and world of yakiniku hidden behind the steel panels. Continuing the low-profile facade image, the reception area is quiet and dark, lit with a single warm and softly shining light. Diners are seemingly entering a private residence with a dense and static atmosphere that creates an emotional prelude for the immersive scenery and experience.