Discipline : Interior Design
Categories :
Accommodation, Restaurant & Bar / Boutique Hotel
: Gold certification
Rockwell Group’s collaboration with Chef Nobu Matsuhisa began with one small restaurant in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood. There, we conceived a design concept inspired by Chef Nobu’s innovative cooking and the culture of the Japanese countryside, where the chef was born and raised. Thirty years and many Nobu restaurants and hotels later, Nobu has been reinvented in New Orleans (the brand’s first expansion into Louisiana), situated within the new Caesars New Orleans.
For the restaurant, Rockwell Group’s design inspiration was twofold. We turned first to the lush natural environment of the New Orleans area. Throughout the bar and lounge area, sushi bar, and main dining space, the traditional Nobu FF&E reflects the local region with a color palette characterized by deep green millwork and stone details, burnt orange upholstery, and accented with shades of dark grey and black. The second source of inspiration was our original design for the restaurant at Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace in Las Vegas—the very first Nobu Hotel. A series of pods line the main dining room, creating anticipation and a moment of discovery for guests. These pods allow for privacy and a reprieve from the casino floor while maintaining a visual connection to the bustling dining room. For the guestrooms, we took a minimal approach with two tones of wood accents—teak and walnut—as well as textured wallcoverings and monumental, mural-like headboards for a residential feel appealing to the modern traveler. Our insertions were inspired by kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by gluing the pieces together with gold epoxy—creating cohesion from collage. The result is a streamlined, luxe take on Nobu’s signature hospitality.
