Basan*

Location :

Detroit, Michigan

Project Size:

4500 sf

Status :

Completed 2022

Olympia Development of Michigan re-imagined the historic Eddystone tower of Detroit into a thirteen-story residential building dedicating 4500 sf of ground floor to a specialty restaurant. It was important the restaurant capture the energy of the District Detroit neighborhood’s revitalization. The design team utilized the historic building’s Italian Renaissance proportioning to form the planning. As the restaurant and design team collaborated, key components for the concept developed. A Japanese Robatayaki grill set the tone for an Izakaya style space offering Japanese lite bites and libations. The restaurant and bar are accentuated by wooden screens reminiscent of the thatch roofs and Kumiki, tongue and groove, joinery found in Northern Japanese farmhouses where this type of fire-side grilling originated. These screens form an artful gesture over the bar and above the exhibition kitchen. Local artists were commissioned and provided a hand in the decorative ceramics and bar screen graphics. This is a story where the culture and cuisine unite to reveal a unique dining experience.