A Calgary Restaurant Delves Into Japanese Minimalism – Azure Magazine

Calgary’s Lonely Mouth restaurant borrows its identify from the Japanese concept kuchisabishii, which refers to consuming not to satisfy hunger but due to the fact “your mouth is lonely.” This ethos is central to the cafe and bar, which celebrates contemporary Japanese fare, and to FRANK Architecture & Interiors’s structure for the house, which permits diners to experience the menu — and the ambiance — to its fullest.

The organization took a significantly less-is-much more approach to planning the restaurant’s interiors — but Lonely Mouth’s interiors are just about anything but cold. With its myriad of textures, muted colours and ambient lighting, the space is a heat, modern day spin on Japanese minimalism.

Situated on a commercial strip in Calgary (not considerably from FRANK’s studio room), the cafe is a serene oasis in the metropolis. Its curated use of colour — a restrained palette of earthy greens and browns — is introduced to lifestyle with a wealthy range of textures. The designers combined velvet corduroy with raked plaster, warm woods and accents of greenery through the area, making an inviting environment that would make it possible for guests to come to feel at property.

The lights scheme is seemingly subtle, still decidedly impactful: 3 spherical paper lanterns float in the centre of the eating area, illuminating the room with a dim glow, alongside perimeter spotlights, fringed desk lamps and candles. It’s a warm and cozy mood-setting approach that invitations diners to settle in and remain awhile.

To increase to the design’s comforting ambiance, the designers also built-in upcycled aspects and repurposed items. The eating chairs are all vintage and had been reupholstered in eco-friendly to in shape into Lonely Mouth’s colour palette. Equally, the eclectic bar cabinets that display the restaurant’s substantial sake assortment ended up established from wooden salvaged from the renovation itself.

The concentration on elements, textures and lights presents the room a nuanced ambiance without the need of overburdening the house, permitting the meals to just take the leading purpose. Central to this practical experience is viewing the restaurant’s in-house noodle maker at get the job done at the bar, which is seen from the eating room via a wood dowel display screen. Even the art on the walls spotlights the contemporary Japanese fare on the menu — together with functions by Calgarians Harry Kiyooka and Rhys Douglas Farrell hangs a textural, noodle-esque fibre art piece.

Comprehensive of aspects that insert nuance to and enliven the minimalist treatment of the place, Lonely Mouth’s interiors maintain the aim on the key celebration — the foodstuff — while also providing a feast for the eyes.