Origami is the ancient and celebrated Japanese art of paper folding: by folding one or several sheets of paper, one creates a shape, a decoration. This art originated in ceremonies in which folded pieces of paper were used to ornament jugs of sake. It is in this spirit of art and celebration that the Jean de Lessard design firm approached the interior design of the Kazumi Japanese restaurant.

“What I imagined at the outset,” explains Jean de Lessard, “was a giant origami covering the main part of the kitchen, which gives onto the dining room. This origami was the inspiration for the creative process.”

The designer’s intuition was perfect: the angular shape, pierced with sushi-pink translucent glass, on its own creates the ambience and tone of the restaurant. The colourful opening also gives a glimpse of the intense work being done in the kitchen.

A colourful, fresh locale – just like Chef Tri’s cuisine!

As soon as they enter, customers are enveloped in a corridor of clear glass set into brightly striped walls. The vinyl covering, in a motif created by the designer and factory-printed, invariably draws the eye toward the sushi counter, the restaurant’s main room. 

A challenging layout 

Dealing with a rectangular space without a large opening to the exterior, Jean de Lessard’s design firm had to use imagination to work with angles of view and create dynamic visual points of impact, while maintaining an overall impression of simplicity and balance. By using dark curtains to dampen the sound level and playing with the transparency of certain walls, the designer gave some materials a double function, thus optimizing his design.

The essence of Kazumi

With a contemporary approach and through use of colour, Jean de Lessard’s design firm transposed the essence of Restaurant Kazumi into its interior design: a colourful cuisine in a stimulating, friendly setting.

General information 

Project category: Interior design
Project: Kazumi Sushi Lounge
Location: Montreal, Canada
Client: Kelly Do
Design agency: Jean de Lessard, Designer Créatif 
Project manager: Jean de Lessard
Architect: Stéphane Proulx
General contractor: Rénovatech. M. Nicolas Khuu
Other specialists: Kitchen Equipement JF. Jacques Brazeau
Beginning of design: September 2009
Completion of design: October 2009
Beginning of on-site work: November 2009
Completion of on-site work: February 2010

Photographer: Jean Malek