Rockwell Group first collaborated with chef Nobu Matsuhisa on a small restaurant in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood. Thirty years and many establishments later, the partnership will bring a Nobu restaurant to the Grand Wailea resort in Maui next summer.
The restaurant will gently descend from an arrival court into an open-air dining room and terrace overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
The design concept will enhance the space’s impressive 35-foot ceilings, balancing grandeur with carved, organic forms that create intimate, human-scaled moments.
The natural setting and ocean views will be celebrated via a light, airy palette that employs local materials and textures inspired by the island’s shifting sands, palm trees, and nautical references. Nobu’s signature black cerused wood will be complemented by white onyx, lacquered walnut burl, blue and green shades, mixed ceramics, and dark metals.
Guests will be greeted by a carved feature wall behind a lacquered walnut host stand surrounded by plants. The inner faces of the portals and clerestory windows will be finished in rich charcoal tones, evoking the classic Nobu aesthetic and creating a dramatic sense of entry.
Further into the space, guests will encounter two curved bars—a liquor bar to the east and a sushi bar to the west—facing each other. Backlit alabaster bar dies will recall Nobu Downtown, but with a more light, beachy feel. The main dining area, flanked by the bars, will sit beneath a glowing linen installation, dip-dyed in indigo and flowing like ocean waves.
Existing columns and beams will be reimagined with black plaster and black tile insets to echo Japanese aesthetics, while the terrace, extending from the open-air dining room, will feature a refinished trellis and teak tabletops.
The private dining room, meanwhile, will boast folding screen walls and modular furniture to accommodate various events. The moodier, darker space will be characterized by a textured black plaster feature wall and custom artwork.
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