ORA uses LA’s fallen street trees for the interior of Uchi restaurant in West Hollywood

Straight wooden wings and lines, taken from fallen street trees, divide the spaces in this Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles by local studio ORA.

Uchi West Hollywood is the first West Coast location for chef Tyson Cole’s Austin-based chain, operated by Hai Hospitality Group.

Located on a prominent corner along Santa Monica Boulevard, the 5,200-square-foot (483-square-meter) restaurant has 160 seats amid a wooden interior.

“We have worked closely with local artists, designers and artisans, promoting low-cost natural materials to create a sense of wonder and connection to the unexpected natural beauty and spirit of our city. ,” said ORA principal Oonagh Ryan.

One of the project’s primary partnerships was with Angel City Lumber, which sourced wood from 25 fallen Aleppo Pine trees in 14 different urban areas.

“With a diameter of 30 centimeters and a height of nine meters, about 26 tons of local LA trees were turned into wood for Uchi,” said the group.

42 trees from these trees were cut into sustainable boards of various lengths, and suspended above from the ceiling of the restaurant to create space dividers.

The panels follow the rough lines that separate the seating areas, and are followed at the top by vertical wood panels that hide the recessed lighting by Dot Dash.

Inside, hand-made plaster throughout the ceiling helps improve the acoustics of the space.

Meanwhile, concrete planters made by the SBLA firm go under the partitions and lead to a patio with additional dining space.

The rest of the earthy palette is dominated by woods like white oak and walnut, complemented by upholstery from Maharam, Knoll and Carol Leather.

Around the corner, the ORA chairs are placed below the light boxes that form the silhouettes of the decorative items placed on the front shelves.

The travertine paneled counters behind the sushi and beverage bar are complemented by slim metal shelves for storing dishes and bottles respectively.

Also in the bar area, a sculptural light fixture created by LA artist Kazuki Takizawa to depict cherry blossoms hangs above the stone countertop.

Both the solid oak and copper Lawson-Fenning chairs and the handmade Ceramicah lamps are locally made.

Other Californian artists standing in the area include Liisa Liiva, Molly Haynes, Rajiv Khilnani and Rachel Duvall.

The bathrooms are accessed through a corridor with thin vertical wooden strips, and are themselves covered in dark blue tiles.

Uchi – which means “house” in Japanese – also has locations in Austin, Miami, Dallas and Denver, while its sister company Uchiko has a Houston-based military base designed by Michael Hsu.

Photography by Eric Staudenmaier.

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Project fees:

Architect: HOUR
Interior design: HOUR
Materials and equipment: Hai Hospitality and ORA
Lamp: Dot Dash
Country Structure: Stephen Billings Estate Agents
Format: Nous Engineering
Machines: Engineered Solutions
Electricity: TEK engineering team
Food service design: Myers
Contractor: Build a Team
Tree Shop: Angel City Lumber
Millwork fabricator: Montana Timber Buildings