Before designing “La Oliva”, our client and we visited Spain in advance. Our concept for this restaurant was “to bring real Spain to Japan.” We needed a clear concept to integrate all the below factors into one restaurant; for all of the followings are “real Spain” restaurants. Restaurants that emphasize bar style culture and history are most familiar throughout Spain. Restaurants that have modern appearance, though you can still feel the Spanish atmosphere, are relatively new type of restaurants in Spain.

So, we made a proposal to our client with the concept of “Making designs that are absolutely comfortable with restaurants of present-day Spain”. Considering the construction costs, we wanted to make good balance of Japanese people’s preference. We used contemporary methods in total and filled with combinations of beautiful town scenery and clusters of Spanish bars.

We brought the local impression into shape; for example bricks and walls for the black board, patterned imprinted tiles, and wooden counters that perfectly harmonize. We turned the colored photograph we took in Spain into monochrome, and displayed it on the upper open counter as one of the designs. Also, we bought all the posters in this restaurant, from an antique shop in Spain.

As for the space construction of the façade, we set terrace seats in spacious and inconspicuous boundaries with high tables to make people easier to enter the restaurant and to let the people outside know that it’s always crowded. Inside the restaurant, we placed an open kitchen so that the customers will enjoy the live atmosphere of the cooking. And the further away you sit from the open kitchen, the higher your eye level will become. In this way, no matter where you sit, everyone can easily communicate with the staff members in the kitchen.

Consequently, we were able to create a restaurant such as the bar style and taverna style, with every day full of customers who love Spain.

Designer: Aiji Inoue , Yuki Kanai / DOYLE COLLECTION CO.,LTD.
Construction: Blocks CO.,LTD.
Photo credits: Satoru Umetsu/ Nacasa & Partners