From Oslo to Tokyo

Bars and restaurants can be simple and understated. They can be glamorous, grand and loud. They can be hidden away and discreet, or garish, or small masterpieces in their own right. All over the world.

In Oslo, the SUMMIT BAR was designed by the world-renowned architectural firm Søhetta. It isn’t large; just like in a cinema, you descend a flight of steps from above towards the screen.

The screen is the city’s panorama after dark: a sea of lights, with people and cars moving in the distance.

In Tokyo, the French design star Gwenael Nicolas, who works in Japan, has designed a sushi bar for just 12 guests. Guests sit on bar stools with their backs to the street at a counter, facing a fiery yellow stone.

In Johannesburg, local designer Irene Kyracou has transformed a large office floor into a Cinemascope-style space with exceptionally intense lighting effects.

In Stockholm, Wingårdhs Architects have created a spatial symbiosis of Swedish and Japanese design concepts. Room dividers and seating areas are Japanese-inspired, whilst the cool, understated elegance of the furnishings and the spatial concept is Swedish. A fruitful symbiosis.