U・izakaya house
居 酒 屋
367 sq.ft I Grand Waterfront 翔龍灣, HK I 2022
Nourishing life With The Vibe Of Izakaya
以居酒氛圍冶煉生活
In Japan, if you want to have a drink and meal, the best atmosphere is generally in an “izakaya”. Among most of them, the U-shaped izakaya can most highlight its characteristics: the chef or the boss is at the core of the layout, and the diners sit in the U-shaped bar table surrounding the center. Chef shows the freshness of the food and cooking skills in the centre, while diners dine and drink, ordering and getting the food with only one hand away, this is the closest communication between diners and diners, and between chef and diners. In recent years, there have also been Japanese dramas that use this type of U-shaped izakaya as the theme.
在日本，要想小酌一杯同時品嚐料理，最好氛圍一般是在居酒屋，當中尤以U型格局居酒屋更能突顯其特色：以廚師或老闆作為佈局的核心，食客則坐在圍繞中心的U型吧台；廚師一邊在中間展示廚藝及食物，食客一邊在用餐小酌，叫餐送餐也只是一手之隔，食客與食客之間，廚師與食客之間也有了最緊密的交流。近年亦有日劇以這類U型居酒屋作主題。
The owner of the apartment is a young couple. They yearn for the Japanese izakaya culture. Especially under the pademic, they cannot travel abroad, and they hope to experience the izakaya vibe at home. At the same time, due to the limited space of tiny nano flats in Hong Kong, but usually with large storage requirements, and with different living scenarios are required, such as dining, greeting friends, yoga, etc. How to create an open, with vibe of izakaya living space that is compatible with different living scenarios and functionality at the same time is a difficult question.
Sim-Plex designs with home as the core: “U · Izakaya House” not only reflects the izakaya vibe in the layout, but also in the heart, home has deeply rooted to become the warmest and most comfortable U-shaped izakaya 'house'.
本案屋主為一對年輕夫婦，響往日本的居酒文化，尤其在疫情底下，未能外遊，更希望在家居中能感受居酒氛圍；但同時亦面對香港居住的基本問題，如納米樓的有限面積，收納要求卻很大，亦需有不同的場景要求等，如用餐、招呼朋友、瑜珈等；如何塑造一個空敞、具日本居酒氛圍，但同時亦兼容不同場景機能的生活空間是一大難題。
Sim-Plex以家為本，本案 “居酒 · 屋” 不僅是佈局上體現居酒氛圍，而在心中，家亦成為最溫暖、最舒坦的U型居酒 ‘屋’。
U-shaped Functionality Builds Spatial Connection
Sim-Plex takes the atmosphere of a U-shaped izakaya as the design core, and transforms and adjusts it, combining two U-shaped layouts: one is in the living and dining room, and the other is a semi- open kitchen. The storage functions are arranged in a U shape on the periphery, and the living scenarios are placed in the middle core.
The living and dining room integrates shoe cabinets, entrance seats, hanging TVs, lighting, seats, magazine racks, foldable dining tables, bathroom hidden door, etc. with a U-shaped storage wall: at the foyer, the entrance has a slanted wooden frame shape with ceiling lights, the side is a full height shoe cabinet, with a hollow space for putting out the keys, and a seat next to you to sit down when changing shoes; the side wall is a combination of TV cabinets, and the TV is a hanging type, which is convenient to face to the dining table or adjust to turn to the sofa; the other side wall is the kitchen and toilet position. The bathroom door is hidden by means of a cabinet wall, and with a magazine rack is placed for display. In front of the semi-open kitchen, a folding dining table is integrated and it doesn't take up space when not dining. Sim-Plex intensionally placed the U-shaped storage on the foyer side in the spatial planning, so that when entering, the space is open and unlike nano-units with only just more than 300 square feet.
U型機能收納構築連結空間
Sim-Plex 以U型居酒屋的氛圍作設計核心，並加以轉化調整，糅合兩組U型佈局:一組 是在客飯廳，另一組是半開放式廚房，兩組空間既連結卻又具備獨立位置，並將收納機能等 以U型排列在外圍，生活場景則置放在中間核心。
客飯廳以U型收納牆融合鞋櫃、入口座位、掛電視、燈飾、中空裝飾位、雜誌架、摺合餐 枱、浴室暗門等： 一入門口，玄關有斜木框造型連頂燈，頂有收納櫃，側有全高鞋櫃，中空位可放出門前的鎖匙等，旁亦有座位供換鞋時可坐下；側牆是電視櫃組合，電視是吊掛式，方便平時可正 向摺合餐枱，或調至轉向房門旁梳化位置亦可；另一側牆則是廚厠位置，以收納牆的手法隱 藏浴室暗門，在旁亦糅合了雜誌架作陳設之用，在半開放式廚房前，藏了一張摺合餐枱，平時不用餐時可不佔地方；整個U型收納牆頂均留有空位保持開敞感，及設有燈帶裝飾。 Sim-Plex在設定上將頂櫃及U型收納置於玄機那邊，使一入門口時會感受開敞的感覺，不像是只有三百多呎的納米單位。
Semi-open Kitchen Layout Balances Openness And Privacy
Hong Kong Nano Buildings generally have a very small usable area after deducting the counted public space or terrace. Some new buildings will use a fully open kitchen and place it in the living and dining room to increase the sense of space.However, it is unavoidable that the cooking fumes are too large, which will lead to hygiene problems.
The existing site got an independent kitchen. Sim-Plex proposes to remove the brick wall and use a semi-open kitchen to connect the external space, but it is slightly separated by refrigerators and kitchen cabinets to balance openness and privacy. Induction cooker is used instead of cooking stove so as to reduce oil fumes, and a gold-plated stainless steel plate is added to the back wall, which is convenient for cleaning and maintenance. When greeting guests, the owner will cook in the kitchen, just like a performer in the center of a U-shaped izakaya, and open the hidden folding dining table to greet the guests. The U-shaped cooking table is connected to the dining table, and the guests and the owner are dining together closely. The kitchen is surrounded with dark blue horizontal tiles, echoing the background color of the fishing hanging cloth at the door of traditional Japanese izakaya. Dark grey wood grain tiles are used for the floor.
半開放廚房格局平衡私密與開敞感
香港納米樓一般扣除公共空間或露台後，實際可用面積很小，有些新樓會以全開放式廚房並置於客飯廳，藉以增加空間感，但卻避免不了煮食時油煙過大，導致衛生問題。
本案本身是獨立廚房，Sim-Plex 提出拆去磚牆，以半開放式廚房連結外部空間，但又以雪櫃廚櫃等稍為阻隔，平衡開敞與私隱度，亦以電池爐取代明火煮食減少油煙，背牆則加了一塊鍍金不銹鋼板，方便清潔打理。當要招呼客人時，屋主會在廚房煮食，儼如在U型居酒屋正中的表演者，同時打開隱式摺合餐枱招呼客人，U型煮食枱面連結著餐枱，客人與屋主在用餐時有著緊密的交流。廚房以深藍色的橫磚為主調，呼應傳統日本居酒屋常用的海鮮大漁門口掛布底色，亦以杉木色吊櫃及灰木色地櫃為襯托，配以白色石英石廚櫃枱面，地板則用深灰色的木紋地磚。
Transformation Shapes Living Scenerios
The U-shaped layout of the project increases the flexibility of the space and can create different living scenarios: when the family is enjoying themselves, the hanging TV will be shifted to the sofa; when dining, the hanging TV will remain in its original position, and the foldable dining table will be used for dining while watching TV, you can also add a four-person dining table to greet more friends; when practicing yoga, the foldable dining table can be folded to free up the most open space for yoga. The U-shaped storage wall in the living room is made of wood grain ecological melamine board and white wood grain back pane to form a sharp contrast, and the floor is made of wood grain floor tiles.
幻變機能塑造生活場景
本案的U型佈局增加了空間的彈性，可營造出不同的生活場景：家庭享樂時，掛電視則移至轉向梳化；用餐時，掛電視則保留原本位置，用摺合餐枱食飯時邊看電視，亦可添加一張四人餐枱以招呼更多朋友；練習瑜伽時，摺合餐枱則收起來，以騰出最空敞的位置放軟墊做瑜伽。客廳的U型收納牆以杉木色木紋生態板配以白色木紋背板，形成鮮明對比感，地板則用木紋地磚。
The bathroom was located in front of the living room. After the bathroom door was then hidden by a wooden wall, it was difficult to detect when it was closed at ordinary times, and it did not affect the appearance of the living room. Wooded tiles with the dark tone are used in bathroom to make the living room less affected after opening the door; the mirror cabinet is decorated with a gold-plated stainless steel frame, which also echoes the color of the back pane of the kitchen, with a wood grain floor cabinet and dark gray quartz stone countertop .
浴室本置於正對客廳位置，以收納牆的手法隱藏浴室暗門後，平時關上便很難察覺，不影響客廳的觀感；浴室內正面以一幅黑石紋磚為牆身，配以三面深木紋磚，深沉的色調亦是考慮可使打開暗門後比較不影響客廳； 鏡櫃以鍍金不銹鋼框為點綴，亦呼應廚房的背板色調，配以深灰色石英石枱面的木紋地櫃。
The master bedroom is filled with a wooden storage platform with an ecological melamine board as finish, which can accommodate a 5-foot-wide double bed, extending to the window sill. The back of the bed is lighted, and has a slanted cabinet for convenient storage. The wardrobe sits on the platform with decorative magazine racks on the side.
The guest room remains vacant, and a workbench can be purchased for office use, especially in the context of the epidemic that has resulted in the integration of home and office. It also retains the flexibility to be used as a children's room in the future.
主人房整個以生態板飾面的木板油壓儲物地台為基礎，可放5呎闊的雙人床，伸延至窗台位，床背板有燈飾，亦造了斜位櫃方便儲物，全高衣櫃置於地台之上，側身有裝飾雜誌架。
另一客房保留空置，可先放外購工作枱，作辦公之用，尤其疫情底下衍生家居與辦公的融合，亦保留彈性將來可換作小朋友的房間。
Japan's izakaya culture transmitted stress relief and a pleasant atmosphere, which is a life mediator for the fast-paced Hong Kong citizens. “U · Izakaya House” uses a U-shaped izakaya layout to create a spacious living space with vibe of Japanese izakaya, but at the same time is compatible with different living scenarios, transforming home as the warmest U shaped Izakaya “House”.
日本的居酒文化講究舒壓及怡情的氛圍，對於節奏急促的香港人來說是生活的調解劑。本案 “居酒 · 屋” 以U型居酒佈局塑造一個空敞、具日本居酒氛圍，但同時亦兼容不同場景機能的生活空間，令‘家’成為最溫暖動人的U型居酒 ‘屋’。
