Handroll Bar Kumori brings the Misty Glow of Tokyo to London
CAKE Architecture creates an intimate dining space that transforms from day to night.
Summary
CAKE unveiled Kumori, a London handroll bar inspired by the misty Tokyo Bay sunsets.
Daytime interiors contrast highly refined details with raw materials and a mahogany counter.
By night, the atmosphere shifts as vivid light panels illuminate the dining room.
Design Studio CAKE has unveiled its latest project, Kumori, a new handroll bar situated in the heart of London. The name Kumori translates to “cloudiness” in Japanese, a concept that heavily informed the team’s pursuit of creating an interior space that explores the collision between the city visuals of a misty Tokyo Bay at sunset, and the surrounding landscape silhouettes.
Anchoring the intimate dining space is a handcrafted mahogany and stone counter, paired with bespoke mahogany stools. The traditional intimacy of Omakase culture collides with the vibrant Soho energy, encouraging an open and direct exchange between chef and guests.
During the day, the interior focuses on their tactile materials. The design explores the Japanese traditions of perfection and imperfection through contrasting the highly refined architectural details with raw, imperfect textures. Above the dining area, large-format fabric panels are suspended and gently washed with light, mimicking the ephemeral glow of the mist over Tokyo Bay.
As day turns to night, the mood shifts. The focus turns from physical materials to vibrant color and light. Light panels lining the five-metre-high walls flood the dining room with vivid tones of red, pink, orange, and peach. To bring this complex design to life, CAKE founder Hugh Scott Moncrief collaborated with a roster of creative practitioners, tapping Byron Pritchard for the main counters and stools, Eddit Olin for the wall frames and seating, and Spirit Level for the suspended fabric installation.
Kumori Handroll Bar Soho
26 Denman St, London, W1D 7HX
View this post on Instagram
