The in-demand interior designer at work on his next project. Nope, he's not saying what it is.
Never heard of him? It’s not surprising. Outside of possibly Ninja New York, a restaurant’s design will never garner as much attention as its food. But Hiromi, who goes by Hiro, has quietly made a name for himself as one of the most in-demand interior designers among the trendy Asian-restaurant set. Impressive, especially since the 38-year-old moved to New York from Japan only eight years ago; he subsequently opened his firm, Design & Construction Resources, with partner Swee Phuah.
Hiro's designs speak for themselves—employing clean lines, muted color palettes and natural materials, they result in restaurants that are chic and modern, but also warm and welcoming. Jewel Bako was Hiro’s first New York venture. “It was a small space, only 600 hundred square feet with 24 seats plus seven at the sushi bar,” he notes. His second restaurant, ChikaLicious, was even tinier at 400 square feet. Maximizing space and efficiency soon became Hiro’s trademarks. “Now always a client calls me and says they have a small space,” he jokes.
Hiro draws inspiration from many sources. One of the striking characteristics of Momoya is the brick wall that runs the length of the restaurant. While the wall was primarily designed to attract the attention of outside foot traffic, it also serves to subtly reflect the restaurant’s food. “It’s like a school of fish,” Hiro explains of the wall, with each brick representing a single fish.
Kyotofu, on the other hand, drew inspiration from traditional Kyoto-style homes. In a Kyoto home, a long cobblestone pathway leads to the front door, so the restaurant’s center hallway stands for this pathway, with broken pieces of slate representing modern cobblestones. (The space was designed to complement Kyotofu’s desserts, so Hiro employed a primarily white color scheme to evoke modernity, cleanliness and warmth while also using the interplay of shadows and light to enhance the space).
Yet when David Chang told Hiro about his concept for his wildly-popular Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Hiro didn’t quite get it. “He said it was like Chipotle, so I went to Chipotle, and I created a design where the customer goes in and orders and leaves,” he says of his initial sketches. “But then [David] said the restaurant would change at night.” So Hiro essentially created two restaurants in one space, designing both a long counter and individual tables. And while he used light colors in his design of Momofuku Noodle Bar, he now utilized dark wood to reflect Ssäm's nighttime ambience and younger, trendier clientele.
Soto is the latest Hiro-designed location, and most challenging. The building was landmarked, so the architect was unable to change the restaurant’s façade. However he was able to hide the bustle of Sixth Avenue from diners by cleverly erecting a wall behind the storefront windows. “At nighttime it’s beautiful,” he says of the wall, where cutouts emit the restaurant’s warm glow onto the dark street. “It looks like a church with stained glass.”
Hiro’s artistic vision has earned him praise from restaurant owners. “Hiro’s work embodies the simplicity and sophistication of Japanese design,” explains Kyotofu owner Michael Berl. “He uses clean lines and very organic materials, which translate to a modern look that is warm and comfortable, a feeling that is noticeably absent in many modern spaces.”
Respect for Hiro runs even deeper. “Usually a designer just wants to draw and never shows up to the work site, but Hiro was here every day and supervised every detail of construction,” notes Sotohiro Kosugi, Soto’s owner, who hired Hiro after seeing his design for ChikaLicious. “I didn’t have any stress from him.”
With five new projects in the works, Hiro shows no sign of slowing down. And if history repeats itself, where Hiro designs, diners will soon follow.
Photo by Melissa Hom
