Pallavi Dean’s Roar blends bespoke design elements with accessible Ikea furniture for Origami restaurant in Dubai.

Roar has completed the interior design of Origami, a new Sushi Fusion restaurant located in Dubai’s Festival City Mall.

Pallavi Dean, Founder and Creative Director of Roar, comments: “We were tasked with imagining a functional space imbued with a sense of Japanese zen within a very limited budget. We didn’t want to compromise on the design so we decided to unashamedly incorporate low-cost but considered furniture pieces from Ikea with some key bespoke features which elevate the scheme and give Origami its distinct yet pared-back look.”

The front face of the bar is a lightweight Polyurethane stone panel by Panel Piedra, which mimics the texture of rough stones, and adds depth and tactility to the environment. A finely lit black metal mesh runs underneath the bar as a visual echo to the bespoke lighting elements overhead.

A large mural created by local creative agency Art Painting Lab provides a subtle, playful background to the furniture, which includes a combination of bench seating, free-standing chairs and stools. An exposed ceiling fused with a neutral colour palette of sands and greys gives the space a raw, minimalist feel.