Benihana Restaurant

One of the goals of the new design for Benihana was to provide an exciting background for the culinary theater of tabletop Japanese Hibachi-style cuisine. Located in Piccadilly, the 10,700-square-foot restaurant's fragmented interior and varying floor levels required a circular floor plan that directs patrons to follow a path identified by blue tiles and “floating” skylights. Within the 5,600-square-foot restaurant space, Tepannaki tables combine blond and red woods in the tabletop, with stainless steel hoods above. Elegant ramps, backed with blond wood paneling and backlit, unite two separate dining areas and connect different floor levels.

Photography by Nik Milner, London

Design: The International Design Group, Toronto — Ron MacLachlan, managing director; David Newman, Constanza Carsten, Ron Mazereeuw Architect: Carnell Green Partnership, London

General contractor: Takenaka (UK) Ltd., London Flooring: Vorwerk, Switzerland (carpet) Laminates: Formica, Italy

Fabric: Crayfourds, London (chair upholstery)

Artwork: Robert O'Dea, London