The pot holding a fiddle-leaf fig tree in a corner of the restaurant isn’t the only thing that Bessou’s owner Maiko Kyogoku brought from home.
Photography courtesy of Michelle Min and Heather Stern for Bessou.
1. Embrace the new false ceiling.
Kyogoku has made some welcome updates to the false ceiling trend you may recall from your parents’ rec room circa 1972.
In Japanese homes, it’s very common to have recessed ceilings and lighting,” says Kyogoku, who found the perfect white lantern at Design Within Reach.
2.Celebrate architectural quirks.
Kyogoku was familiar with the Bessou space—including its left wall, which has a peculiar curve in the middle—long before moving in, as it was previously home to her favorite neighborhood restaurant.
It looks kind of like a violin,” says Kyogoku, who makes clever use of the bend in the wall as a natural divider to create a small standalone waiter station.
3. Consider a palette of pine.
“Most everything is pine,” says Kyogoku of the wall slats, ceiling panels, banquette, chairs, and tables.
The dried Queen Anne’s lace that hangs on the walls of Bessou was saved from a bouquet given to the chef by her husband on opening night.
4. Practice deconstructed ikebana.
Kyogoku, who previously worked with contemporary artist Takashi Murakami, likes pattern and texture, and wanted to incorporate both into Bessou without disturbing the peace.
5. Complement minimalist interiors with quiet patterns and textures.
6. Store high and low.
When Kyogoku first moved into the Bessou space, “there was absolutely no storage,” she says.
7. Shop your memories.
The ornamental elements in Bessou remind Kyogoku of her friends, family, or places she’s spent time.
8. Create clever dividers.
Kyogoku uses an antique Japanese sliding door from Shibui in Brooklyn as a room divider in the small space, and to partition off her statement greenery into its own exhibit in the entryway.
9. Seek out seconds.
In an effort to stick to a limited budget, Kyogoku and team visited restaurant closing sales and discount shops to get the serving dishes and utensils they needed.
It comes back to the Japanese idea of appreciating that things have a spirit and respecting where they come from, and minimizing waste,” says Kyoguku.
10. Practice destination dining.
“Bessou means ‘home away from home’ in Japanese. The concept of a bessou is a place to escape to or relax,” says Kyogoku. This concept is particularly evident in the dining nook in the back, where Kyogoku chose special elements that would emphasize its distinct, secluded feel.