By Mae Chan | Oct 6, 2009

Yuhkichi Kawai – A True Designer

“I just want to achieve my own design,” said Kawai.

He certainly approaches it with utmost detail and thought, preferring to build scaled models than using computer generated images.

“I believe a good design has to be concurrent with the times. In ID, there is no point in making a design last forever.” That said, Kawai also believes that it should be a viable, sustainable and long-standing design.

Fortunately, YTL gave him much freedom in his designs for the Lot 10 rooftop project. The experience is particularly rewarding as it challenged him to think out of the box and to even create some of the materials.

One such example is the wavy wood strips used to decorate the ceiling of Teeq Brasserie, something he creatively thought of.

Comprising a modern mix of wood and glass, the design of Teeq Brasserie is meant to maximise the view of surrounding KL skyline with top to bottom glass walls. Combined with good lighting and tasteful soft furnishings, the mix of a more eco-friendly wood and glass setting provide just the right amount of warmth while maintaining its classiness.

The design had to be simple yet effective; not overly thematic as the menu features a good mix of Japanese, Western and Asian for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Teeq Brasserie is also available for catered functions.

In fact, Kawai mentions that the simpler the design, the harder it may be to create. Surprisingly, it is not the flamboyant and grand designs that always win. He also had to take into account the type of crowd as well as the Malaysian style, which didn’t particularly take to minimalist approaches.

“A design can’t be too artistic but instead functional and most importantly, it must appeal to the crowd as well as lucrative for the client,” adding that a good designer has to pay attention to the locality and culture of its customers.

“For example, there was a similar concept to Feast Village in Tokyo, but it did not succeed. The reason it succeeded here is because we tailored it well to the local lifestyle.”

Regarding the country’s first and only Hanamichi T-Shaped stage in Actors Studio, Kawai admits even he was surprised that they had chosen such a challenging stage.

“They were very confident that it will be a good choice when I presented my designs to them,” said the talented designer, transforming the high-ceilinged structure into a theatre, creating a minimalistic style that blends well with the steel concrete supports and wooden seats.

Most memorable work
For a man whose mantra is to “not copy my past projects”, Kawai strives to challenge his projects one hundred percent each time, constantly looking to surpass his previous work.

“In order to survive, you have to be like a chameleon,” said Kawai, who even refused money-making offers to duplicate the Feast Village in other countries.

With this constant forward-moving thinking, he found it difficult to answer which project to date was his most memorable one. After much thought, Kawai said that the Lot 10 Rootz Dance Club with its Russian theme was a memorable experience for him. Partially because it’s his first dance club project and more so because of the design he created.

Using an effective and remarkably creative method, Kawai flew to St. Petersburg in Russia to visit a real palace to take pictures, then resized and printed them out as shiny wallpapers, with another thin gauze material layer printed on to create a double-layered illusion effect.

He thought that rather than having the designs carved and painted on the wall, this method was less costly and time saving and also enables the theme to be changed anytime easily.

While cosy, the club is also deliberately designed without any columns to maximise the space and view within, an idea Kawai believes makes the design uninterrupted and more attractive.

The highlight for Kawai this year is the amazing design inspired by the Beijing Olympics that he created for Beijing Noodle No.9 at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas to which he reluctantly admitted was his biggest accomplishment to date; only after much coaxing from us. For a man who thinks he has much more to go, this is a major step up, even earning him the JCD Silver Award 2009.

However, in his trademark understated manner, Kawai denies that he has made it to the big stage. When asked when he will feel that he has stepped up, he quietly thought for a moment, shrugged then said somewhat carefully, “I’m not sure, but maybe if I win the ‘grand prix’ of designer awards?”

Bringing this quiet spirit of determination and depth to everything he does, one senses the unspoken but deep passion Yuhkichi Kawai has for his work, allowing them to speak for themselves.