Nacrée — Sendai, Japan

In any other pair of hands, the execution of a ‘light and flower’ themed French restaurant would verge on gimmicky. Under the guidance of Kengo Kuma and Associates, however, it’s handled with creativity and a light touch. Located in the Japanese prefecture of Miyagi, Nacrée takes diners on an idyllic journey, where a wave of vertical clear acrylic tubes snake around a dining room, sporadically filled with floral arrangements and mirrored by a series of cylindrical vessels that contain subtle lighting. The effect is fresh, organic and bright, with the transparency of the curtain wall bathing the entire space in a natural light that fluctuates in intensity as the day goes on.
The floral theme continues throughout, winding all the way through to the restaurant’s dark wood bar area, which sits in stark contrast to the main dining room. Here, Kuma has positioned uniform sticks of bamboo to dangle at various lengths from the ceiling, each one wrapped in artificial vines. Exposed industrial pipes running along the ceiling offer a stark contrast to the botanical motif, cutting through its sweetness and providing a sense of equilibrium to the space. Chef Minoru Ogata’s menu, on the other hand, is an apt reflection of the flowery décor, with a series of colourful and dainty modern French dishes, leaning heavily on fish and seafood.
ADDRESS
2 Chome-2-38 Chūō
Aoba-ku
Sendai-shi
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Meet the New York-based artists destabilising the boundaries of society
A new show in London presents seven young New York-based artists who are pushing against the borders between refined aesthetics and primal materiality
-
Inside a Montana house, putting the American West's landscape at its heart
A holiday house in the Montana mountains, designed by Walker Warner Architects and Gachot Studios, scales new heights to create a fresh perspective on communing with the natural landscape
-
‘You can feel their presence’: step inside the Eameses’ Pacific Palisades residence
Charles and Ray Eames’ descendants are exploring new ways to preserve the designers’ legacy, as the couple’s masterpiece Pacific Palisades residence reopens following the recent LA fires
-
Tune into the rhythm of Tokyo’s most ambitious record shop
Vinyl Delivery Service in east Tokyo’s Skwat Kameari Art Centre is spinning a new narrative for the traditional record store model
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Waldorf Astoria Osaka
‘It’s rare to work on a brand new hotel of this scale in Japan in today’s landscape,’ says designer Andre Fu about Osaka’s newest luxury hotel. Wallpaper* paid it an early visit
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Rosewood Miyakojima: ‘Japan, but not as most people know it’
Rosewood Miyakojima offers a smooth balance of intuitive Japanese ‘omotenashi’ fused with Rosewood’s luxury edge
-
A new book captures the kitschy allure of Japanese ‘love hotels’
For his latest project, French photographer François Prost documents the whimsical façades that characterise these erotic roadside venues.
-
All aboard the world’s most luxurious train journeys
Stay on track with our pick of the most luxurious train journeys around the world, whether in 1920s-style opulence or contemporary chic
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Hoshino Resorts KAI Akiu: a soothing onsen hotel
In Japan’s bucolic northeast, Hoshino Resorts KAI Akiu breathes new life into a sleepy hot spring village without betraying its ancient roots
-
Shake off the winter chill at these design-led onsen hotels in Japan
Whether you’re heading to the mountains of Hokkaido or the alleys of Kyoto’s Gion district, these immaculately designed onsen hotels will keep the shivers at bay
-
The new hotels you’ll want to stay at in 2025
Where to stay in 2025? Let six of the most-read-about hotel openings of the past 12 months inspire your escape – from a tiny Tokyo bolthole to a Tanzanian safari retreat