Location
Mackinac Island, MI
Size
386 sqft
Completion Date
2016

Sushi Grand is Mackinac Island’s first and only sushi restaurant. The new 24 seat off-site restaurant for the Grand Hotel features a hand painted ceiling mural with a stylized map of Mackinac Island and Asia with ink brush strokes against a gold foil background. Fiber-optic lighting is strategically placed within the mural to highlight major cities on the ceiling. Japanese conical straw hat light fixtures hang over the sushi bar and highlight the overall décor of gold and red accents with black and gold granite countertops. The walls are a hand painted bamboo trelliswork with an elaborately carved antique gilded back bar ornament. The floor features rounded dark pebbles that have been finished to resembles a wading pool. Different diameter bamboo stalks in the interior window openings provide privacy and shading.

The program was to create a special, unique environment while maximizing seating and prep efficiency in an awkward and limited space. To resolve functional issues, the south wall was moved and kitchen space is shared with an adjoining restaurant. This created an open, yet intimate space which invites chef and diner to share a traditional sushi preparation and dining experience.

The interior is exotic and elegant, fostering a unique and memorable space. Conical straw-hat light fixtures illuminate the black and gold granite countertops and highlight the overall décor of gold and red accents. Bamboo trelliswork is hand painted on the walls while an elaborate gilded antique carving adorns the wall behind the bar. The floor, paved with rounded dark pebbles, resembles a wading pool. Privacy and shading are provided by genuine bamboo stalks which screen the window openings and further enhance the exotic atmosphere. The experience of this space is crowned, literally and figuratively, by the ceiling. A hand painted mural of stylized maps executed with ink brush strokes against a gold foil background, the ceiling mural incorporates fiber-optic lighting to denote major cities.

The attention to detail and exquisite craftsmanship of The Grand Hotel Sushi Bar creates a unique and memorable dining experience which will attract new and old patrons.