Blarney

Irish Pub And Cafe for The Blarney Stone

The Blarney Irish pub and Cafe alternates between two modes according to the time of the day. Taking place in the restaurant underground floor of Japan Post Tower Building at Osaka Station, the establishment functions as a Cafe from early morning to turn into an Irish pub in the evening. The bar cabinet uses pivoting doors that hide and show either alcoholic beverages or cafe utensils. Two dimensional monochromatic art inspired by Irish aesthetics on the walls replaces the traditional decorative aesthetics to blend in both functions and creates warm yet simple and smooth atmosphere.

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Blarney by Tetsuya Matsumoto

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Irish Pub And Cafe by Tetsuya Matsumoto

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Tetsuya Matsumoto Blarney

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Tetsuya Matsumoto Irish Pub And Cafe

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Tetsuya Matsumoto Designer Portrait Photo

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The Blarney StoneBrand Logo

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Unique Properties

For its third location as an Irish pub in Osaka, Blarney had to shift its business model to be able to serves customers from early morning to late night. To allow this transition the counter back cabinet uses a system of swinging doors altering between alcoholic beverages and cafe utensils shelves. Compared to a traditional Irish pub the heavy decoration was scraped out and replaced by monochrome art painted directly on the walls of the pub, and representing Irish culture and iconic posters.

Tags

Japan, Osaka, Irish, Pub, Cafe, Flexible, interior, hospitality, bar, art

Production Technology

The walls are made using drywall techniques. They were then divided into three sections. A lower one is finished with cement based material. The middle part is finished in covering sheet with a rusted metal motif. And the upper part is finished in the same grey wall cloth as the ceiling. An indirect light line separates the wall parts. The art was painted directly on the top of the rust metal sheet.

Design Challenge

The middle ground between heavily decorated Irish pub and soft and relaxing atmosphere of a cafe can hardly be determined. Two strategies were adopted. The first is to design a counter back cabinet that showcases both alcoholic beverages and cafe utensils by creating pivoting doors. The second is to abstain from using any kind of traditional decoration and replace it with wall painting inspired by Irish culture elements and iconic posters interpretations.

Project Duration

Project start: June 2023. Construction starts: April 2024. Project/Construction End: July 2024. Location: Osaka, Japan.

Operation Flow

The shop has an almost trapezoidal shape with two sides open to the corridor shared with all the other restaurants. The closed kitchen is set to be in the corner with two walls. It extends with the counter space along the large wall and ends with the coffee machine space that is placed specifically to serve morning commuters. To avoid awkward positions in the narrow space all tables in the hall are set to the same height as the bar counter.

Research

The project had to deal with a prominent dilemma that is related to its situation. The facility has strict rules that force the shop to open and provide services from early morning to late night. An Irish pub working hours is essentially in the afternoon and evening time, thus the need to convert the space to provide cafe services as well. The research consisted of balancing two different aesthetics of heavy Irish pubs and soft atmosphere of a cafe without loosing function of one or the other.

Inspiration

The bar and cafe cabinet are inspired by traditional furniture and black board signage. And added a twist by allowing them to pivot between the two, uncovering one or the other every time. The art on the wall refers to Irish cultural elements including the Blarney castle, the four leaf clove, the harp and some traditional motifs. The art also interprets some iconic posters for Irish whiskey and Guinness beer.

Image Credits

Image #1: photographer ©Senichiro Nogami, Blarney, 2024. Image #2: photographer ©Senichiro Nogami, Blarney, 2024. Image #3: photographer ©Senichiro Nogami, Blarney, 2024. Image #4: photographer ©Senichiro Nogami, Blarney, 2024. Image #5: photographer ©Senichiro Nogami, Blarney, 2024.

Project Overview

Blarney Irish Pub And Cafe has been a Bronze winner in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design award category in the year 2024 organized by the prestigious A' Design Award & Competition. The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.

Bronze Recognition

Tetsuya Matsumoto was recognized with the coveted Bronze A' Design Award in 2025, a testament to excellence of their work Blarney Irish Pub And Cafe.

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