Mesh screens in contrasting colours hang above the heads of diners at Tel Aviv's Ya Pan bistro, designed by local architects Pitsou Kedem, Irene Goldberg and Sigal Baranowitz.
The 70-square-metre restaurant set up by Yuval Ben Neriah blends the Japanese izakaya – informal restaurants that often serve small plates and sake – with classic bistro food, and the interior design aims to reflect this blend of influences.
Kedem worked together with Baranowitz & Goldberg Architects on the project. They took inspiration from Japan's traditional kite festivals – where people gather to fly huge kites in bright shades.
These formed the basis for Ya Pan's hanging screens, which both emphasise and contrast the building's high ceilings. The mesh panels – which include a range of lengths and are lit to emphasise their different hues – create changing combinations of colour depending on where diners are seated.
"The desire to create an informal atmosphere together with the space's physical trait being long, narrow and tall, resulted in a layout of one sweeping stroke in the form of a central bar," said Kedem.
Diners sit along the length of the bar at tall upholstered wooden seats, and lighting comes in the form of minimal cylindrical pendants with circular details, designed by Orly Avron Alkabes.
The walls surrounding Ya Pan's bar have been covered in a pattern of tiny round mirrors, designed to create a "steady rhythm" and also emphasise the interior's changing colours.
The architects also wanted to include these as a nod to classic bistro interiors, which often incorporate mirrors into the space.
Kedem founded his studio in 2000. He has worked on several projects in Tel Aviv, including a vaulted apartment with black iron surfaces and a modernist-inspired house.
Photography is by Amit Geron.
Project credits:
Design: Irene Goldberg, Sigal Baranowitz, Pitsou Kedem
Lighting design: Orly Avron Alkabes