Waku Waku is a new Japanese restaurant in the Melbourne CBD, capturing the understated elegance and simplicity of wabi-sabi in an inviting interior coupled with an iconic brand identity. We embraced the ancient Japanese philosophy, which finds beauty within imperfection and transience through a highly textured palette, celebrating the natural aesthetics of materiality. Herringbone timber flooring, tan-coloured porcelain tiles and soft-clay rough-cast rendered walls create a warm and intimate space. The travertine titanium counter and tabletops, chestnut-stained timber seating and sand-coloured crinkled leather upholstery add further tactility to the dining experience. This palette reveals and highlights the irregularities and textures of natural materials, fostering an appreciation of beauty and a sense of tranquillity while customers enjoy a dine-in meal.
Location Melbourne, Australia
Category Hospitality, Brand
Completion 2023
Services Interior Design, Brand Identity, Website
Photography Timothy Kaye
Website wakuwaku.au
We are inspired by the people we meet, and the relationships we keep.
Biasol (pronounced ‘b–are–zoul’) is a multidisciplinary design studio based in Melbourne. With a focus on the design of interior spaces, building typologies, products, and branded environments, we work collaboratively with Australian and international clients to realise spaces and experiences that merge the intricacies of design to deliver considered outcomes that engage both physically and emotionally.
Biasol was established in 2012 by Jean-Pierre Biasol whose Italian heritage and broader European educational influences nurtured a resonance and respect for the naturally diverse working processes common within European design practices. The Biasol approach draws on many complementary disciplines to create experiences that surpass expectation, harnessing intuitive, beautiful and highly engaging environments, products and brands.