Colorado Real Estate Journal - May 4, 2016
Rowland+Broughton Architecture/Urban Design/Interior Design has completed the architecture and interior design for the new 7,800-square-foot Matsuhisa Denver, located in Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood. Partnering with Nobu Matsuhisa and the restaurant ownership team, R+B created a “unique, inviting and purposeful design” concept that acknowledges the Colorado locale while remaining true to the Japanese culture, according to R+B. In addition to the unique requirements of the restaurant, the concept was informed by the travel experiences of principals John Rowland and Sarah Broughton in Japan and owner Nobuko Kang’s stories of time spent at her home in Tokyo. “We are so proud to be a part of this amazing project,” said R+B Principal Sarah Broughton, AIA. “Our teams in Denver and Aspen combined their knowledge, skills and spirit to create a design that addresses every detail of the restaurant operation, unites the sensibilities of Colorado and Japan, and showcases chef Matsuhisa’s remarkable cuisine.” Design elements include: • A muted natural palette that complements the food presentation. • Deliberate textural contrast and specifically designed lighting to set the scene. • Custom crafted, reclaimed Indonesian teak for walls, ceilings, bar and millwork. • Sliding teak partition walls featuring resin panels impressed with trimmings of prayer paper made from indigenous shrubs by Himalayan monks. • Windows cloaked in a custom designed, layered wood screen system inspired by the traditional Japanese Asanoha, or hemp leaf, pattern. • A back bar wall clad in leathered sandalwood sandstone quarried from Colorado’s Western Slope. • A custom designed Zen garden, including a rock fountain inspired by Japanese artist Masatoshi Izumi and sourced and fabricated in Boulder Located in the Steele Creek multi-use development at the corner of First Avenue and Steele Street, this is the third Matsuhisa in Colorado, joining locations in Aspen and Vail.