Cucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design

Cucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Door, FacadeCucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Table, ChairCucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design - Interior Photography, WindowsCucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design - Interior PhotographyCucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design - More Images+ 15

  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  66
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2021
  • Photographs
    Photographs:Takeshi Asano
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  NEW LIGHT POTTERY
  • Lead Architect: Naoya Matsumoto
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Cucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design - Interior Photography
© Takeshi Asano

Text description provided by the architects. This project is an attempt to preserve as much as possible the memory of the space that was familiar to the residents of the neighborhood when the owner's grandmother ran a restaurant, while creating an invisible line connecting the past and present, and reusing the "form" that has remained since that time.

Cucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design - Interior Photography, Windows
© Takeshi Asano

The facade with large transparent glass is 30cm higher than the entrance, allowing the customer to feel the live atmosphere of the restaurant like a stage from the outside, while considering the visual approach from the exterior. We also created a tsuboniwa garden inside the building, which can be seen from inside and outside, to express the expanse of the building.

Cucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Table, Chair
© Takeshi Asano
Cucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design - Image 19 of 20
Plan - Ground Floor
Cucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design - Interior Photography, Table, Chair, Countertop
© Takeshi Asano

Among the multiple pendant lights in the restaurant, I mixed in one light that my grandmother used in those days, and randomly placed it to create a light effect. We also repainted the existing walls in a dark blue-gray color, which is not normally used in machiya, and used the same tiles for the kitchen walls and stairs. The kitchen wall tiles and stairs are also from that era, and the missing steps are made from existing beams that could not be used structurally to create a fresh and three-dimensional space while preserving the memories of that time.

Cucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design - Interior Photography
© Takeshi Asano

The cutlery rest and the menu stand were also made by cutting out the existing beams, and we incorporated the memories of those days into the places that visitors touch. The coat hooks were made in the image of the vise that was found at the site during the site survey.

Cucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design - Image 20 of 20
Plan - First Floor
Cucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Door, Facade
© Takeshi Asano

The restaurant's trade name, "Komatsu," was inherited from my grandmother's "family name,” which would disappear in her generation. It is as if the owner has newly given life to the space, which is littered with the shapes and memories of the building from that time. I hope that locals and visitors from far and wide will enjoy their meal while feeling the background of the historical family of this place. 

Cucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Takeshi Asano

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Project location

Address:Imadegawa-dori, Kyoto, Japan

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Cucina Italiana Komatsu Restaurant / Naoya Matsumoto Design" 21 Nov 2021. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/972217/cucina-italiana-komatsu-restaurant-naoya-matsumoto-design> ISSN 0719-8884

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