Biwa Restaurant

Kina was a part of the Biwa restaurant project dating back to time spent living in Sapporo, Japan in 2004, in the infancy of its inception. Working with Constructive Form on initial design and construction, the interior was arranged as a single large room into which two ‘furniture’ elements are placed — an entry stair with landing, and a bar with an open kitchen. Together, these created a series of eating areas: a larger area to the east, a smaller and more private zone to the west, and a third along the bar. The lower open plan and high ceiling allowed for natural daylighting and visual connections between the street, open kitchen, and seating.

Over the twelve year life of Biwa Restaurant as co-owner, Kina was involved in ongoing creative development, ranging from design and management of tenant improvement upgrades, graphic and branding work, and gallery curation, in addition to all of the other necessary entrepreneurial demands.