Kelly Wearstler wants diners to feel completely present at low-lit fusion restaurant

"Intimacy was non-negotiable" for Kelly Wearstler when interior designing Kappo Kappo, a charred-wood-clad French and Japanese restaurant at the Austin Proper Hotel in Texas.

Kappo Kappo is a single-room, 25-cover restaurant at the Austin Proper Hotel, which features interiors by Los Angeles-based Wearstler throughout.

The French-Japanese fusion restaurant is centred around "kappo" dining, the Japanese term for "to cut and cook", where each course is prepared in front of the diner and served directly to them by the chef.

"Understanding kappo dining – really understanding it – was essential before I touched a single material decision," Wearstler told Dezeen.

"It's about the relationship between chef and guest, so we designed around that," she added, nodding to the central, 15-cover chef's counter that anchors the space. "That intimacy was non-negotiable."

Wearstler clad the small eatery in floor-to-ceiling slats of charred cypress, blackened using the traditional Japanese timber preservation technique known as shou sugi ban.

Produced locally in Austin, the cypress was stained in a deep green hue to imbue it with an "unexpected twist".

"It has this subtle warmth, this organic quality that reflects the sensibility of Japanese design without being literal about it," explained Wearstler.

The designer crafted gridded millwork screens for the space. Illuminated with a warm glow, they store and conceal the restaurant's glassware and handmade ceramic plates.

The screens are a playful take on shoji screens, traditional Japanese room dividers made from translucent sheets on a lattice frame.

Kappo Kappo's standalone dining tables were designed bespoke for the project using leathered stone, while the chairs were made from ebonised, sandblasted pine.

"We wanted to showcase the natural beauty of stone and balance all the wood," said Wearstler. "The chairs also have this raw, tactile quality that feels right in the space."

One of the walls was decorated with a trio of oversized, quilted fibreglass sconce lights by Korean artist Minjae Kim.

"The lights are these abstract forms that flirt between organic and geometric," considered Wearstler. "Kim understands how to make something feel both considered and alive."

While most of the furniture was custom-made for the restaurant, Wearstler incorporated a handful of vintage pieces – a practice she applies to every project, which has earned the designer her reputation for creating distinctly eclectic interiors.

Among the curated accents is a sculptural ceramic lamp from the 1970s and a painting by American artist Ever Baldwin displayed in a hand-carved, charred-wood frame.

"Those vintage touches add depth, history, personality," said Wearstler. "They make the space feel layered and collected, not just designed."

Considering how she wants diners to experience Kappo Kappo, Wearstler hoped that they "feel completely present" in the space.

"The open kitchen and the counter seating dissolve any barrier between the chefs and the guests," she added. "You're part of the experience, not just observing it."

Kappo Kappo was founded by twin chefs Gohei Kishi and Haru Kishi, who were born in Paris to Japanese parents.

The photography is by Giulio Girardi.

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