BAKUTO BAR • LINDENHURST, NY

The challenge was issued in the form of one word: Bakuto. The Bakuto, the Japanese precursor to the more widely known Yakuza, were itinerant gamblers who lived outside the norms of their society, and famously adorned in complicated and colorful tattoos, which they kept hidden away outside of their social circles.

The design challenge was to somehow marry the ideas of the elegance of traditional Japanese architectural techniques with the grungy aesthetic of the aforementioned Bakuto and landing at what would eventually be the design for this industrially stylized Izakaya. Using clean linework through floating soffits and rebar ‘fusumas’ (sliding/porous walls), and deliberate material choices - the warmth of wood contrasting the various distressed metals with a colorful splash of some incredible local tattoo art - we were able to strike that balance.

Client: Bakuto Bar
Type: Commercial Restaurant
Size: 1,750 SF
Status: Completed (2019)
Services Provided: Architectural Design - Interior Design - Filing - Construction Administration
Photos: Josh Goetz Photography