In 2010, Kinki Restaurant + Bar brought diners out from the Heian period style of design that permeated the interiors of restaurants into what made the start of the decade so definable. It had an urban point of view (less stuffy, more downtown), a knack for combining East and West without pretense (the same can be said for both skincare and fashion) and its twisted seating choices fostering hearty conversations amidst the swapping of plates. Its opening was less of a whisper but instead, a big roaring of “banzai” by its mascot, the Sumo.
—
View this post on Instagram
On the cusp of this new decade is when the tale of the Sumo turns over to reveal the memoirs of the modern Geisha — whose iconic powdery snow white is partially concealed not by the traditional fine-points of ink and lashings of rouge but by a pair of wayfarers. Edgy but still palatable by the public (the latter is a genial mix of the business crowd and creatives), punk in sensibility but chic in looks (a guess since she is wearing Ray-Bans) and in Gen Z speak — a mood.
—
View this post on Instagram
This tapping of the zeitgeist — one that looks as much to the future as it does towards the past — lies within the purview of Singapore-based interior design consultancy, Rockett Studio. The future resides in the hands of locally based artists and the past, the old-world charm of Japanese design elements like Kintsugi, the flamboyant prints from the Edo period of art and the geishas whose lacquered eyes peer through the crowd.
—
The first visual cue of Kinki Restaurant + Bar’s evolution lies within the lift doors one enters through, a dizzying collage of Japanese prints held together by capillaries of gold in the Kintsugi fashion. “Kintsugi” translates to gold repair and this age-old custom of re-piecing pottery is a nod to Punkt Creative’s work — simple and honest. All it takes is one continuous thread of molten gilt to punctuate a point.
—
View this post on Instagram
Onwards to Level Two where Geishas preside over the court. Artist Sean Dunston brandishes his brushes with the flair of a painter using Fude and Hake paintbrushes from the Meiji period, his deft strokes illustrating a Nihonga world of flowers and willows. The blossoms of the night keenly observe one as he sips on sake or cocktail in leather upholstered banquettes; the clink of a knife wielded by a chef behind an elevated open-kitchen counter forming a steady rhythm.
—
Level Three is where the Geisha sheds her cumbersome kimono and the stifling practices of yore. She is a woman of today. One who wields her sexual appeal like a weapon. Her attitude is grittier, she does not shy away from the lingering gaze of a man but stares him down headlong instead. She scoots from destination to destination on a Vespa with her sister nodding approvingly in red shutter shades. Urban artist ANTZ of Play Group has taken her out of the romance of the Hamamachi into an urban world where she does the sake pouring for herself first.
Tradition and cultural influence. Modernity and the rebellious act of individualism. A story like this has to be told.
Once you’re done with this story about Kinki Restaurant + Bar, click here to catch up with our April 2021 issue!
RELATED ARTICLES
Givenchy's Hard Carry Is the Voyou
Omega's Speedmaster Moonwatch Shines In Blanc
