Japanese and Mexican-Inspired Design Schemes Merge In Mezcla

OWIU Studio, in collaboration with ADDP Architects, has unveiled its design work for Mezcla. The all-new, 66-seat restaurant harmoniously merges Japanese and Mexican interior design schemes and cuisine in Singapore’s Tanjong Pagar district.

The newest project of Proper Concepts group and second collaboration with the Singapore-Los Angeles-based OWIU Studio, Mezcla is housed in a restored, traditional Singaporean shophouse and dressed in a carnival-themed interior replete with infinity mirrors, muted lighting schemes and raw terracotta walls.

With the walls of the original shophouse created from concrete masonry, Mezcla is an amalgamation of two different-yet complimentary culinary languages from Japan and Mexico, which combine for a synergized design harmony of its own. The space’s initial ceilings were chiseled away by hand to reveal the raw tactile quality of the original building, and were then coated with a raw dark terracotta to create an ambiance akin to a traditional hacienda in Oaxaca.

Each of the tables and countertops at Mezcla were custom-made with “oxidian quartz” to manifest a contemporary version of “madre and padres” stores commonly situated outdoors.

“There is a strong feeling of a fun, trivial and almost carnival-themed environment due to the myriad colors, neon signs and sense of informality,” says Joel Wong, Principal, OWIU Studio.

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