Situated on the ground floor of the Grade II listed Clareville House in Haymarket area of London, Blenheim Design’s concept will transport you to 1970’s food alleys of Japan. Located next to the Japanese bakery and directly above the Japanese supermarket, Yokocho restaurant concludes UK’s first fully immersive Japanese food experience in the heart of London. 

Our design challenge was to create the sense of walking through a maze of Japanese narrow alleys whilst inside a Grade II listed building. We envisaged the Yokocho interior as a Japanese sanctuary, free from the care of everyday life which will take visitors on a nostalgic tour of downtown Tokyo. 

Our inspiration arrived from a recent trip to Tokyo where we stumbled across Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku district. At the time we weren’t aware how an accidental find would turn into an indispensable source of information. We wanted to capture that essence of walking through aromatic, noisy, visually loud food alleys, where every sense is engaged in a warm hearted way. 

The interior was carefully shaped into a grid of three alleys featuring izakaya portico’s, shop fronts and kiosks with overhanging roofs. The combination of Yamato-hari textured plaster, strips of upcycled cedar wood tied with salvaged oak and pine were utilised to create raw material façades. The natural materials were chosen to act as an authentic background to the vivid colours of paper lanterns, posters and signs. 

Strategically positioned shop openings were created to deliver views into neighbouring alleys whilst also performing as food counters and seating areas. These façades were layered with carefully chosen upcycled props to create an authentic visual punch. Multiple textures, tones, shapes and materials were used to bring surprise, intrigue, delight and playfulness to the concept. Authentic Japanese retro phone booths, vending machines, bicycles, power lines, beer crates and genuine signs were employed to capture the essence of Tokyo’s alleyways. This project’s interior is unique and timeless in a way that it is free to evolve and develop. 

Unlike the formally symmetric layouts and subtle décor of many restaurants, the Yokocho interior will improve with furniture and décor displacement. The interior design is an appreciation and celebration of charming imperfection often celebrated by Japanese philosophers. Blenheim Design embraced sustainability, versatility and innovation to conceived the U.K.’s first fully immersive Japanese experience situated in the heart of Haymarket conservation area.