Design work by Cobalt enters into the Ki spirit

Cobalt Consultancy will unveil the results of a year-long design project for Japanese restaurant Ki when it opens in London in October.

The consultancy has created the interior design and external branding, name and corporate identity for the restaurant in London’s West End.

Branding will be applied to graphics, menus and corporate and promotional literature. Cobalt commanded a six-figure fee for the work, says its chairman Ian Woodhouse.

Ki, meaning spirit, incorporates 929m2 of space over three floors in Heddon Street. The ground floor is a sushi bar, the first floor is a restaurant serving traditional Japanese Robata Yaki cooking, while the top floor houses a VIP club and gallery offering a range of sakes. Robata Yaki cooking is very rare outside Japan and involves serving food with long paddles.

The interior fit-out and implementation of design concepts did not begin until last week and the consultancy has been working to a “fairly loose brief”, says Woodhouse. Cobalt’s most important task involves harmonising the different identities that it created for each floor.

“The design incorporates a blend of elements, from the synthetic materials, lighting, neutral colours and textures of the ground floor to the natural materials and hints of Japanese style on the first floor. Classical, minimalist features on the second floor endorse [Ki’s] exclusive feel,” says Woodhouse.

The group won the work after a credentials and creative pitch against three unnamed rivals.