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Address: 363-6 Masuyachō, Higashiyama-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu
Program: Restaurant
Construction: Kansai Reform Labo
Floor area: 226.18㎡
Completion: 04/2018
Photographer: ad hoc inc. Daisuke Shima

Design firm: Fumihiko Sano Studio
For project inquiry: info@fumihikosano.jp
For press inquiry: press@fumihikosano.jp

This is a close look at the main entrance that has a wooden frame to its glass doors with additional wooden outer doors and a mosaic stone walkway.

This is a look at the interiors that has wood-top counters and large glass walls that show the zen garden landscape outside.

This is a closer look at the store just inside the glass doors with light wooden cabinetry lining the walls with warm and inviting lights above.

A few steps from the cabinetry and counters is the large reception and bar area with a large L-shaped peninsula with light wooden counters.

This is a close look at the corner of the large reception peninsula bar with a unique station for displaying products.

This is a look at the wooden stairs topped with decorative spherical pendant lights hanging above.

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This area has a bar area and a built-in wooden table under the window.

This is a dining area that has multiple chairs and tables under a tall arched ceiling with rustic exposed beams.

This is a close look at the sets of wooden tables and chairs topped with various rustic exposed dark wooden beams.

This is a close look at the bar with a large wooden counter paired with wooden stools and a tall wooden ceiling with modern lighting.

Behind the wooden stools of the bar is a zen garden with graveled walkways and trees.

This is a view of the bar from the vantage of the zen garden just outside the wooden sliding doors.

The project is situated in a narrow street in Ichinenzaka near Koenji. The building is designated as a cultural property by the city of Kyoto, thus much of the neighborhood has retained the antique aesthetics of the past. The renovation design revives the at¬mosphere of the traditional Kyoto architecture while incorporating a casual, open space reminiscent of San Francisco; the original location of Dandelion Chocolate.

Cedar wood is a vital material in Japanese architecture. Traditional houses often rely on building materials such as the kamoi, nageshi, mawaribuchi shoji and ranma to be built from cedar trees. Cedar is the main material for this project considering craft chocolate and cedar require authentic craftsmanship and carefully selected natural ingredients, the similarities were used a source of inspiration for the material decision.

By incorporating a modern adaptation of a classical Japanese architectural design, we hope to extend the lifespan of a one hundred year old building by another one hundred years.