Elena Ratkovic
Menu
Dark restaurant dining room where circular timber recesses step up into the ceiling above each table, with tall pendant shades and a lit red and cream feature wall at the back.

Tsukimi

Japanese restaurant · speculative site, Japan

Type
Japanese restaurant
Location
Japan — speculative site
Area
176 m²
Status
Academic individual project
Scope
Lighting concept and interior design
Software
AutoCAD, Rhino, D5 Render, Photoshop, InDesign

Concept

Named after the practice of moon-viewing. Circular recesses step up into the dark ceiling, closed by glowing discs that hang above the tables. There are no partitions: the room is held far darker than a restaurant usually dares, so each pool of light becomes a room.

There are no partitions in the dining room. Privacy is made with light instead: the space is held far darker than a restaurant usually dares, so each pool of light becomes a room, and guests share one space while sitting in separate ones.

Only dark stone and timber — light is the one bright material here.

Read alongside Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows, 1933

Reference imagery

Reference imagery by others: four photographs of dark, warm interiors: a dim dining room, textured stone beside timber slats, a lit timber counter, and paper umbrellas glowing from behind.

Floor plan

Tsukimi floor plan, scale 1:50: reception, main dining area, private dining room, bar, kitchen, bathrooms and staff area.

Sliding paper panels close the private room without sealing it. Lit from within, they read as a lantern from the dining floor and show movement without revealing it.

Circulation runs between the pools of light rather than around walls, keeping sightlines open while each table stays visually separate.

Reflected ceiling plan

Tsukimi reflected ceiling plan, scale 1:50, with luminaires tagged L1 to L9.

Legend

L1
Linear LED strip
L2
Recessed LED strip
L3
Pendant – dining
L4
Pendant – bar
L5
Pendant – reception
L6
Sensors – toilet
L7
Sensors – storage
L8
Recessed spot light
L9
Surface mounted wall light

Luminaire schedule

RefTypeManufacturer / modelCodeQtyLocationMountingOutputCCT
L3Pendant, cylindrical filament diffuserVibia — Array 18001800/1314Dining750 mm above table593 lm · 22 W2700 K
L4Pendant, blown glass diffuserVibia — Tempo 5772, Grafito5772-184Bar800 mm above counter292 lm · 4 W2700 K
L5Chandelier, wagasa clusterCustom made piece—4Reception900–1500 mm dropConcealed LED source2700 K
L9Surface wall light, pressed glassMarset — Roc Mini, blackA701-510-39-27K3DiningWall109 lm · 2.9 W2700 K

  1. L3 Pendant, cylindrical filament diffuser

    Manufacturer / model
    Vibia — Array 1800
    Code
    1800/13
    Qty
    14
    Location
    Dining
    Mounting
    750 mm above table
    Output
    593 lm · 22 W
    CCT
    2700 K

  2. L4 Pendant, blown glass diffuser

    Manufacturer / model
    Vibia — Tempo 5772, Grafito
    Code
    5772-18
    Qty
    4
    Location
    Bar
    Mounting
    800 mm above counter
    Output
    292 lm · 4 W
    CCT
    2700 K

  3. L5 Chandelier, wagasa cluster

    Manufacturer / model
    Custom made piece
    Code
    —
    Qty
    4
    Location
    Reception
    Mounting
    900–1500 mm drop
    Output
    Concealed LED source
    CCT
    2700 K

  4. L9 Surface wall light, pressed glass

    Manufacturer / model
    Marset — Roc Mini, black
    Code
    A701-510-39-27K
    Qty
    3
    Location
    Dining
    Mounting
    Wall
    Output
    109 lm · 2.9 W
    CCT
    2700 K

2700 K throughout front of house.

Section and light layers

Section A–A′

Section A–A′ through the dining room, 3.20 m high, with pendants over the tables.
Ambient light layer on the restaurant section, with a circled detail of the concealed LED strip in the stepped ceiling.
AmbientDetail 01 — concealed LED strip
Task light layer on the restaurant section: pendants casting light down onto each table.
Task
Accent light layer on the restaurant section: small pendants lighting the bar counter.
Accent

100%

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