Vertical fins of live-edge wood, which was sourced from fallen street trees, divide spaces at this Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles by local studio ORA.
Uchi West Hollywood is the first West Coast location for chef Tyson Cole’s Austin-based chain, operated by Hai Hospitality Group.
Situated on a prominent corner along Santa Monica Boulevard, the 5,200-square-foot (483-square-metre) restaurant seats 160 covers amongst a timber-dominant interior.
“We collaborated closely with local artists, makers and craftsmen, elevating humble natural materials to create a sense of surprise and connection to the unexpected natural beauty and spirit of our city,” said ORA founding principal Oonagh Ryan.
One of the main collaborations for this project was with Angel City Lumber, which sourced wood from 25 Aleppo Pine trees that had fallen across 14 different city neighbourhoods.
“With an average diameter of 30 inches and an average length of nine feet, nearly 26 tons of local LA trees were turned into wood for Uchi,” said the team.
The 42 logs from these trees were cut into live-edge boards of varied lengths, and suspended vertically from the restaurant’s ceiling to form spatial dividers.
The panels follow sinuous lines that demarcate seating areas, and are followed around the top by vertical wood bands that conceal cove lighting designed by Dot Dash.
In between, hand-troweled plaster across the ceiling helps to improve acoustics in the space.
Meanwhile, custom concrete planters by landscape firm SBLA run underneath the dividers and extend out to a patio with further dining space.
The remainder of the earth-toned material palette is dominated by woods such as white oak and walnut, complemented by upholstery from Maharam, Knoll and Carol Leather.
At the perimeter, bespoke booth seating by ORA is placed below glowing light boxes that create silhouettes of decorative objects displayed on shelves in front.
Striations in travertine panels mounted behind both the sushi bar and drinks bar are accentuated by thin metal shelves for storing dishes and bottles respectively.
Also in the bar area, a custom sculptural light fixture created by LA artist Kazuki Takizawa to evoke cherry blossoms hangs above the end of the stone counter.
Both the solid white oak and brass bar stools by Lawson-Fenning and the handmade ceramic lamps by Ceramicah were made locally.
Other California-based artists represented in the space include Liisa Liiva, Molly Haynes, Rajiv Khilnani and Rachel Duvall.
The bathrooms are reached via a corridor lined with thin vertical wooden strips, and are themselves clad in dark grey tiles.
Uchi – which means “house” in Japanese – also has locations in Austin, Miami, Dallas and Denver, while its sister brand Uchiko has an outpost in Houston designed by Michael Hsu.
The photography is by Eric Staudenmaier.
Project credits:
Architect: ORA
Interior design: ORA
Furniture and accessories: Hai Hospitality and ORA
Lighting: Dot Dash
Landscape: Stephen Billings Landscape Architects
Structural: Nous Engineering
Mechanical: Engineered Solutions
Electrical: TEK Engineering Group
Foodservice design: Myers
Contractor: Build Group
Lumber shop: Angel City Lumber
Millwork fabricator: Architectural Woodwork of Montana
