Fushimi, Brooklyn, N.Y.

If you happen to stroll by the new Asian-fusion restaurant Fushimi in Brooklyn, N.Y., you might think for a moment that you’re in Las Vegas, not in the historic Williamsburg neighborhood. And that’s just what co-owners Ben and Daniel Cheng intended.

“All the cool, young and sophisticated New Yorkers are going [to Williamsburg] to live, work or play,” says Doug Horst, principal and creative director for Horst Design Intl. (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.), the firm in charge of Fushimi’s design. “And the only way to seduce them is to create a ‘wow’ environment that captures their attention.”

The 7000-square-foot eatery opens to the street via a grand, glowing, nautically inspired entrance portal, internally lit and crafted with recycled resin. That same over-the-top design continues inside with a 24-foot-long illuminated bar; bamboo rods and oversized stainless-steel buoy-like spheres on sections of the ceiling; and a backlit sushi bar.

There’s also what Horst calls the “tunnel of love,” a circular passageway fabricated in polished mirror-aluminum sheeting set aglow with recessed LED strips that can change colors placed every few feet. For a bit of under-the-sea style, designers suspended custom chandeliers using strands of chrome beads that are meant to resemble jellyfish tentacles.

Fushimi’s interior is divided into five sections – sushi bar, main dining room, private booth pods, bar and lounge and a secondary dining area – and each section brims with materials meant to deliver a dramatic look.

Case in point: Japanese white river rocks are embedded into the translucent sushi bar, while clusters of bamboo form columns that flank its sides. Private upholstered booths are surrounded by 11-foot-tall “pods,” which are constructed from a white laminate shell, and feature a hefty dose of color-changing lighting and Asian-inspired murals on the back walls.

Project Suppliers
Retailer
Fushimi, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Design
Horst Design Intl. Inc., Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.

Architect
Michael Kang Architect PLLC, Flushing, N.Y.

General Contractor
Kent Tse Contracting, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Audio/Visual
ECI, New York

Ceilings
Armstrong Mfg., New York

Flooring
Stone Source, New York

Furniture
Elegance Furniture Mfg., Brooklyn, N.Y.

Lighting
Store Lighting Systems, Glen Cove, N.Y.

Signage/Graphics
Espy Digital Murals, New York

Wallcoverings and Materials
Cali Bamboo, San Diego