SUSHI BAR

Shima (island in Japanese) is one of the hippest restaurants on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice. With no signage, only those "in the know" stop in to eat chef Yoshi's wild-caught, organic, brown rice sushi.

We designed the 4040 square foot, mixed use, building in 2002 for chef/owner Yoshi Shigenobu. Because of the lot size and parking regulations the restaurant size was very limited. The small size of the restaurant actually makes it fell intimate and cozy.

There is also a two bedroom apartment with a separate entrance from the street on the level above the restaurant.Because of budget constraints (I believe the project was constructed for about 125 per sq ft in 2004) we used construction grade plywood for much of the cabinetry and the sushi bar. I like the warmth and informality that comes from using plywood as an interior finish.