Torafuku is a new modern 48-seat eatery recently opened in Vancouver. Moving on from their well-loved food truck to their first permanent location, the design by Scott & Scott architects features raw, utilitarian materials to great effect.

The main idea was to have a completely open plan concept with no visual separation between diners and the kitchen – but certainly an acoustic separation. This in turn required a clever employment of materials.  

So rather than dividing the restaurant physcially into different zones to achieve an acoustic separation, the architects custom designed acoustic panels made of quilted cargo pad and denim wool, which serve both an acoustic and aesthetic use. “These panels are situated where smaller groups would be seated at the periphery of the dining space,” said architect David Scott via Dezeen. “They compliment the softer leather and tarpaulin seating and contrast with the more lively central communal table.”

At the centre of the design is a low, cast-concrete communal table with a feature string of LED lights custom designed by the architects. Made from simple steel flats that are finished with a red oxide paint, the LEDs are balanced for up and down lighting. Moulded leather boxes  house transformers on either end of the steel bar. The light feature  is suspended from an M-shaped cable.

Our interests in the potential of unsophisticated materials which we encounter in general construction was aligned with the restaurant’s beginning,” says Scott. Simple can be beautiful indeed!