Yango Zhang, the owner of Ichi, had previously built a few locations for his sushi takeout company but, with this latest venture, he wanted to place a strong emphasis on the dining experience. Ichi's previous identities were created inspired by stations and transit.
Masquespacio thus offered to move away from literal and conventional 'trip' depictions while preserving the essence of that identity and evolving it into a more conceptual one. The Spanish design team suggested using light to journey into the future as a solution.
“With this more futuristic look we had the opportunity to represent the innovative sushi that is showcased on Ichi’s full of flavors and colors menu, developed by Yango, in collaboration with chef Haruo Ichikawa.”, explained Masquespacio’s creative director Ana Hernández.
The project's location, in a building from the turn of the last century on a famous Milanese boulevard, deserves special attention. The previous design intervention appeared to depict arches and vaults, which were well suited to the architectural style of the time the building was built, but Masquespacio decided to do away with those traditional elements and transform the area into a contemporary concept and our own time-traveling capsule.
As a result, Ichi is influenced by the 1990s and symbolises a journey via light that transports you to experience its unique and diversified flavours while dining in a futuristic spaceship. Like with all of Masquespacio's work, a unique language was developed to produce a unique identity with bespoke furniture. The glass tables with lighting inside provide guests with a special dining experience.
Regarding the choice of materials, the objective was to employ straightforward and unadulterated substances, such as glass and microcement, to produce homogenous surfaces that serve as visual reminders of the spaceship that is intended to be exhibited.
The most notable feature is located in the second section of the restaurant, where a half sphere leads you into a tunnel where you can watch a live performance by Ichi's sushi chefs. and where the ceiling has been lowered to the lowest level conceivable. The usage of an indirect led lighting system with RGB colours, which may change the ambiance based on the time of day, is the final feature to be highlighted.
