MINI MACHIYA | RAN SUSHI | Interior | AND lab | APAC Glocal Commercial Design Consultants Group

2022| China Beijing

"Ran Sushi" is one of the highest-rated sushi restaurants in Beijing. Its fiery new sibling, "Yakiya", is the owner’s latest venture—a space where people can comfortably drink, talk, and enjoy authentic Japanese cuisine. The owner hopes that the interior design will offer guests a multi-sensory experience of Japanese culture, enhancing their appreciation of the food.

The architect sought to move beyond the conventional boundaries of interior design and approached the space from an architectural typology perspective. The project embraces the concept of a "micro-city"—scaling down the complexity of urban architectural spaces into an interior setting to create a rich and layered spatial experience.

Whereas the sushi restaurant is compact and intimate, its design draws inspiration from the dense, winding spaces of the Edo period. Within the tight interior, the architect implanted a miniature “machiya”—a traditional Japanese townhouse—as a private dining room. This “machiya” is not a literal imitation of the past but a contemporary reimagination using steel plates to reconstruct the form. The intentional contrast between steel and wood subverts the typical "Japanese-style" aesthetic of most Japanese restaurants.

Just like a traditional machiya façade, the side of the sushi "machiya" facing the bar features a composition of solid and void. The wooden “solid” sections house functional elements like the cashier and storage. The glass “voids” add spatial depth while ensuring privacy. The outer layer of glass features a gradient mirrored film, shielding the central portion from direct view while allowing glimpses into the space above and below. The interior face of the glass is fully mirrored, creating a microcosmic world within the private room.

然寿司

北京中天九阳建筑照明工程有限公司

崔浩