Luchetti Krelle channels a little bit of everything in The Upper, a double-billed restaurant destination held within the newly completed Marunouchi Terrace Tower of Tokyo’s downtown business district. Saturated colours mingle with precious metals and materials, Art Deco decadence, mid-century Italian vibes and the breezy nature of Brazilian modernism. A varied intersection of cultures plays out across the two expansive floors. Expect a mid-century Italian-inspired geometric wall mural that spans both levels sitting comfortably next to a grand main bar with pale jade swirls that recall the decadence of Shanghai’s 1920s and the glamour of the Chrysler Building. 

The Sydney locals ensure Australia gets a look in as well with local contemporary furnishing elements added to the rooftop level, blurring the indoors with an outdoor terrace. The entrance really deserves a mention. Gilded elevator doors part to reveal rich emerald green walls crowned by a latticed brass ceiling. The grandeur cannot be understated, glazed sapphire blue signage beckons guests towards a custom maître d’ concierge desk whose patinaed copper legs and curved aged brass base support a polished steel surface. Riffing on ancient shipping boxes with their rivet detailing, it subtly references the international patronage of the venue. 

Tucked neatly below Fitzroy Street on Bourke Street in Surry Hills, Jane is a swanky 1970s-inspired modern Australian diner steeped in nostalgia. Set within a historic butcher’s site transformed by Luchetti Krelle...     Opposite, a heavily veined modular granite bar integrated with a steel drinking ledge anchors the long rectangular dining area. Rising some 4.5 metres behind it, a tower of backlit bottles line the shibori blue lacquered latticed framework. A chequered pale and darkly stained oak floor extends beyond it, subtly referencing the grid of the streets below.

At the far end of the kitchen that spans the central axis sits a private chef’s table rendered both internally and externally in velvety grey plaster. Referencing the surrounding high rise metropolis, frieze stacked glass bricks line the walls above the eyeline. Back in the dining area midnight leather banquettes face generous views afforded by floor to ceiling glass. Adding to the material melange, Kelly Wearstler’s Graffito curtains and seafoam white pendant lights by Anna Charlesworth offer a textural balance to the windows. Custom dome-shaped bronze swing arm lights hover over circular and timber-framed tables with marbled Marmoleum inlays, highlighting their swirling grey/mauve tones.