Portfolio: Kaikaya, Valencia, Spain

Kaikaya in Valencia, Spain, is a truly unique dining experience, featuring a tropical design that catches the eye the moment you step inside. With bold red tiles, a wood-beamed ceiling, circle motifs and overgrown greenery cascading from ledges and tucked into corners, Kaikaya’s mission to become the first tropical sushi destination in Valencia is clear.

“There were several aspects that inspired the design,” says Christophe Penasse, Founder of Masquespacio (Valencia, Spain), the creative consultancy behind the project. “First was our client, Mireia, a surfer who has lived in Brazil for many years. It was important to keep in mind that the restaurant was going to offer tropical sushi, which was invented by Japanese migrants in Brazil who used local ingredients to make sushi.”

Penasse and his team sought to honor and blend both Japanese and Brazilian cultures through the design – the minimalist aesthetic of Japanese design, where every item serves a purpose, combined with the colorful, vibrant, wonderfully chaotic visual approach of Brazil.

The location for the restaurant, a historic building, challenged the team to respect the existing architecture. They accomplished this not by hiding the space’s imperfections, but instead celebrating them, incorporating the vaults, original brick and flooring into the eclectic design.

Another aspect of note is the bar: Various tiles in green, pink, red and black make up the backsplash of interchanging diamond shapes, with custom-made parrot lamps and art deco-style lighting throughout.

“The response has been really positive,” says Penasse. “Kaikaya, from day one, has been a local success and a restaurant to visit in the city, both for its design as well as its food.”

It’s a design that’s equal parts appropriately upscale and hugely inviting, perfect for a luxurious date night or a casual gathering. Covering all its bases, it’s the kind of space that reminds us of the importance of visually engaging an audience.

PROJECT SUPPLIERS

Retailer
Kaikaya, Valencia, Spain

Design
Masquespacio, Valencia, Spain

Decorative Lighting, Tables and High Stools
Masquespacio, Valencia, Spain

Technical Lighting
Onok Lighting, Valencia, Spain

Materials/Wallcoverings (Tiles)
Hisbalit, Cantabria, Spain

Furniture
Sancal, Murcia, Spain

General Contractor
H2GO

Photography: Luis Beltran, Valencia, Spain