London practice Pirajean Lees has converted a nightclub in Dubai into a restaurant informed by Japan's jazz age and the grandiose parties of silent film actor Sessue Hayakwa.
The restaurant, which serves modern twists on Japanese classics, is named Mimi Kakushi after the distinctive bob haircut worn by the young Japanese Moga, or modern girls, who adopted western fashions in the period after the first world war.
Mimi Kakushi's interior integrates elements of traditional Japanese joinery (top and above)
This jazz age aesthetic is also reflected in the interior of the eatery, which is layered with rich textures and materials including traditional joinery, hand-painted walls, beaded curtains and bespoke stained glass windows.
"Mimi Kakushi embodies Japan when jazz was swinging into 1920s Osaka, bringing modern art and western fashions to it," explained Clémence Pirajean and James Michael Lees, who founded Pirajean Lees in 2007. The restaurant's electricals and mechanical equipment is hidden behind a straw ceiling grid
In particular, the duo looked to the larger-than-life persona of Sessue Hayakwa, Japan's first silver screen star to find success in Hollywood.
"Hayakwa perfectly personified this era," said the studio. "Known for his lavish parties, gold-plated car and castle-style mansion, Hayakwa's story became the foundation for the design."
A colonial-style Japanese bar stands near the reception
The existing architectural features of the nightc...