Press Release
Style Kitchen Restaurant by Keiichi Ito and Ryo Okada - Uds Ltd. Wins the Silver A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Keiichi Ito and Ryo Okada - Uds Ltd. acknowledged for interior space and exhibition design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 19, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Silver A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category for Style Kitchen Restaurant by Keiichi Ito and Ryo Okada - Uds Ltd., designed for UDS Ltd.. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Silver A' Design Award Explained
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
About Style Kitchen Restaurant
Style Kitchen is a restaurant interior located in Kutchan cho, Hokkaido, Japan. The long and narrow space covers 785 square metres and is divided into three zones. Antique wood and stone near the entrance create a casual mood, while the rear zones are more private and quiet. Semi private rooms recall traditional snow huts, and the pendant lights resemble snow crystals. An open kitchen at the centre refers to the Annupuri mountain range. The curtains grow darker toward the back and also improve thermal insulation.
About Keiichi Ito and Ryo Okada - Uds Ltd.
UDS is a design firm dedicated to creating sustainable, fun and lively urban spaces by pursuing an optimum balance of social responsibility and business profitability. We are a one-stop provider of business planning, architectural design, and commercial operation services, all under one roof. Whatever the use or function, every space we create is truly unique to the community it serves, and we achieve it by integrating all aspects of the physical environment.
Award Record
With this recognition, Keiichi Ito and Ryo Okada - Uds Ltd. is a winner of 14 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2020 - 2021 and the 2025 - 2026 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award
The A' Interior Design Award is an international interior design competition recognizing good interior designs by interior designers and architects worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Typical entries include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. The awarded interior designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/interior
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/174559
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/174559
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!174559
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/301823
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://bit.ly/3D6VyMA
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
###
Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Style Kitchen Restaurant
- Function
- Restaurant
- Category
- Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Black, Saddle Brown, Sienna, Peru and Dim Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- UDS Ltd.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Keiichi Ito and Ryo Okada - Uds Ltd.
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #174559
Credits
- Team
- Keiichi Ito and Ryo Okada
- Image Credits
- Photographer Shinsui Ohara, 2024 Optional; Photographer Shinsui Ohara, 2024
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- With a long and narrow space provided for the design, the decision for the plan was to adopt a gradational design from a casual space near the entrance to a more private and luxury zone at the end. To bring the history and nature of Niseko inside the restaurant, the design includes elements like semi private rooms, reminding traditional snow huts, or building materials reminiscence of a snow glimmer.
- Inspiration
- The breathtaking natural environment of the Niseko snow resort in Jpan, its long history and unique culture were the basis for this design. The design concept is called All Taste and is an accumulation of experiences of the surroundings brought inside, in addition to an exquisite cuisine.
- Research
- The research was based on snow resorts, restaurants and facilities in Niseko. The goal was to combine not only the different styles of restaurants, but to include the local surroundings as well. It resulted in the creation of a space with many types of seating styles and zones. A lively, entertaining and energized atmosphere, imbued with the charm of Niseko.
- Challenge
- One of the clients requests was to include as much as possible from the culture of Niseko, so many of the artwork was entrusted to Hokkaido artists to convey the charm of the local area to the guests properly. High quality and environmentally appropriate furniture was also achieved by manufacturing them in Hokkaido.
- Realization and Technology
- A mix of antique wood and stone near the entrance of the restaurant enhances the casual spirit of the space, while the passage leading to the more private spaces is designed to look more sophisticated, reminding one of the images of calming rows of birch trees at night. In the center of the restaurant stands the open kitchen with elements designed to represent the Annupuri mountain range of Niseko, creating a lively atmosphere. Even the pendant lights were designed to resemble snow crystals so that the guests were submerged in the beauty of Niseko snow resort.
- Operation and Interaction
- The restaurant has 3 zones, some of which can be closed during the low season without creating a cut off feeling. To create connection to the charm of the local nature and history, to create a calming atmosphere, the design includes elements like local wood and stone. An oversized steel pod resembling an old distillation tank is installed over the round bar counter near the entrance. It is a connection to the local industry and history and can even be seen from the ski slopes elevating the interest of the outside passersby.
- Project Duration and Location
- Design begun in April 2020 and construction begun in August 2021. Operation begun on December 15, 2024. The restaurant is in Kutchan cho, Hokkaido. Infront of the Restaurant stretches the famous Hanazono ski slope and is surrounded by the mountains Yotei and Annupuri.
- Specifications
- Spread over 785sq.m., separated into 3 zones, each part is layered with specially designed hardened floors which can withstand the abuse of snow booths and the winter ware. The curtains are double layered to softly absorb the outdoor light. And the deeper one goes toward the back of the restaurant, the darker the color of the curtains becomes, creating a gradually calming space, while at the same time considering the effect of thermal insulation.
- Keywords
- Restaurant, Design, Niseko, All day dining, Snow resort, ski resort
