FAD_Ristorante J_Firenze_ENG docx 1 of 2 Page 1 of 2 Cora Manzi P.IVA IT11129140965 shared this file. Want to do more with it? FAD_Ristorante J_Firenze_ENG.docx FADD Architects designs the J Contemporary Japanese Restaurant space in historic theater in Florence FADD Architects studio has designed the J Contemporary Japanese Restaurant in Florence , J Contemporary Japanese Restaurant’s fourth location, joining Portici, Naples and Sorrento, for the first time outside the region of Campania. Set on the ground floor level of the former Teatro Comunale on Corso Italia, in what was once the foyer, the main dining space resonates with the memory of this historic place. Since 2021, the J restaurant project has benefitted from the gastronomic guidance of chef Paolo Barrale, Executive Chef of the Michelin-starred Aria, who has helped the brand evolve while maintaining its identity. The culinary concept draws on traditional Japanese techniques reinterpreted with contemporary flair, supported by an epicurean laboratory and test kitchen that ensures innovative creations of the highest quality. Mixology is an integral part of the J experience , thanks to a cocktail menu that takes cues from the cuisine, with Asian ingredients, infusions and novel techniques. Built in 1862 and originally called the Politeama Fiorentino, the theater was a locus of the city’s music culture until 2014 ; the new restaurant’s design nods to the memory of the social ritual of theatergoing, transforming it into a spatial layout. The historic nature of the location interacts with the clean-lined Japanese minimalism of the “backdrop” of floors, walls and ceilings. The decoration, in contrast, focuses on furnishings, fabrics and textures, adding Western elements to create an aesthetic drama crowned by curtains and the curvilinear forms of 1920s design. “These days a lot of restaurants have some sort of theatrical staging generated by the atmosphere and the design. Here, that dimension was already present in the location,” say the studio’s architects, “and we worked to bring it out by adding a few theatrical elements, like the drapery that ushers guests in like a theater curtain, and the wine display that divides the room like a stage flat and lends depth to the space. We were interested in bringing back the social-whirl glamour of the theater, but without being overly nostalgic.” The entrance, through softly draping curtains, marks the passage from outside to inside like a theater curtain, while a screen leads the eye towards the dining room. The central bar serves as a theatrical backdrop, incorporating two of the room’s four columns and becoming a high-impact architectural element. Beyond the bar, the six-meter-high, burnished bronze-lacquered wood wine rack divides the dining room in two like a stage wing partition, without interrupting its flow, while a mirrored backboards lends depth. Two linear lateral benches close the square of the floor plan, guiding guests to the private dining area, cocooned in dark wood boiserie paneling. FAD_Ristorante J_Firenze_ENG.docx The floor, designed by the studio, is in dark brown stained oak, inlaid with lighter strips of the same wood to create a tatami pattern. White and green lacquered columns are a creative homage to the marble cladding of Florence’s Duomo, while the red lacquered bar features a Titanium travertine top. A raffia-textured wallpaper panel lends warmth to the lower part of the walls, and micro-perforated plasterboard ceilings designed to absorb echo transform an acoustic necessity into a decorative element. The Tom Dixon-designed chairs around the tables are upholstered in Infinity plus fabric by Zimmer + Rohde, and the bench upholstery in an earthy red Elitis Ambienti fabric add a touch of warmth to the space. Similar nuances were chosen for the restrooms, in Rosso Lepanto marble that ties into the overall design’s palette of earth tones, greens and deeps reds. Brands involved in the project include Poltrona Frau for the chairs in the private dining area, Viabizzuno for the architectural lighting, and Martinelli Luce for the iconoic Pipistrello lamp on the central bar. The new design for J Contemporary Japanese Restaurant of Florence reaffirms some of the characteristic themes that distinguish FADD Architects’ style, starting with a predilection for materials like dark wood, bronze, textiles and wallpaper, and for decoration not as a mere aesthetic exercise, but as a means to create sophisticated atmospheres. Nods to the 1920s in furnishings, curtains and rich, saturated colors bring the idea of memory and layers of time to center stage. By custom designing the bar and floors and curating every detail of the project, the studio ensures the harmony between integrated design and bespoke craftsmanship that sets their work apart.