At
Nobu Fifty Seven, food and architecture unite in a
concept of layering and folding, its visual vocabulary inspired by the ocean
and Japanese fishing villages, evoking while also evolving the design of the
original Nobu in Tribeca.The walnut timber entry beckons patrons from the
street into the calm of the first-floor bar. A rippling floor pattern
references the ocean bed and the heavy-hewn bar top appears to float on glowing
onyx like bobbing driftwood. Walls and columns are sheathed in the timberstrand
shingles of Japanese vernacular houses. The abalone shells that form the
chandelier float like a fish school buffeted by waves.A
metaphor of fluidity suffuses
the restaurant and unifies the challenging two-story space. A “wave” emanates
from the portal wall, rising up and sweeping into the second floor. The wave’s
panels are molded into compound curves that figure the ocean surface and
sustain multiple readings—the
moiré from their overlap references flowing water, whereas viewed directly, the
panels are transparent and reveal the fabric-covered ceiling. Viewed obliquely,
they appear as a solid, dynamic surface. An
undulating banquette inspired by fishing baskets hugs three sides of the main
upstairs dining. The sushi bar presides over the fourth, wrapped in custom terrazzo embedded
with bamboo. The resulting pattern, continued on surrounding surfaces, reads
like the foam of cresting waves. In the private dining room, the woven
wave subsides in a space enveloped in peen-hammered copper reminiscent of beach
pebbles. Here, the ceiling is crafted from sea urchin spines arranged like
ripples in sand. Muted lighting and soothing, textured blocks of color in the
dining rooms contrast with exuberant architectural
gestures to capture the spirit of Nobu’s cooking, a combination of tradition
and bold innovation.
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