For the expansion of Elements Asia restaurant, Michelle Agnese of New York-based Riscala Agnese Design Group didn’t have to look hard for inspiration. She found it in the restaurant’s celebrated fusion cuisine. “The design aesthetic of the 3,000 square foot addition was inspired by the dramatic yet restrained look of Geishas in striking kimonos, mixed with a splash of the vibrant pop art style of Japanese street fashion,” she says.

The profile of the white high gloss soffits and the sushi counters below reflects the tailored shape of a Geisha’s cinched hair style, poised stiffly upon her head. These strong geometries provide an architectural curtain where the sushi and hibachi chefs take centerstage, performing their craft, Agnese explains.

Targeted lighting highlights circles on frosted Plexiglas panels, which divide the space into three distinct areas: a dining lounge, a sushi bar, and a room with hibachi tables, which can be closed off for events. The lightweight stools throughout were chosen to contrast the visual weight of the soffits, while custom designed ombre felt covers offer increased comfort and add a unique element to the seating.

At the very back of the hibachi room, the colorful wall mural created by Riscala Agnese Design Group was inspired by festive Asian drums, and painted directly on to a shimmering woven wallcovering. “This fluid piece of artwork pops off the wall and offers a playful backdrop beyond a room of high contrast colors and strict shapes,” she says.

More shimmer is found in the lounge, where a plenum of metallic net-like pendants create intimacy and classic Eames chairs are set against custom plywood tables.

Perhaps the most dramatic element is the fragmented two-tone herringbone floor, which began as a solution to unite the flooring from the original space to the expansion. “Two species of interspersed wood allowed the lighter finish from the original floor to bleed into the new space, rather than abruptly shifting or constraining the designers to the original flooring,” says Agnese. In fact, the result was so dramatic, the owners, sisters Amy and Tiffany Liu, extended it into the entire space, erasing all sign of the original flooring.