Nobu Hospitality—the lifestyle brand founded by chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro, and Meir Teper—has announced the completion of Nobu Hotel Chicago. On October 1, Nobu Hotel Chicago will unveil its signature restaurant, suites, meeting spaces, tranquility pool, and fitness facility.
Designed by Modif Architecture in collaboration with Studio K, the hotel features 115 guestrooms and suites in a style that blends Japanese minimalism with West Loop urbanity. Nobu Hotel Chicago marks the third project in collaboration with ownership group RCD Hotels and follows the opening of the Miami and Los Cabos properties.
Nobu Restaurant offers a lounge, dining room, 28-foot sushi bar, and two private dining rooms. Upon entering the restaurant from Chicago’s “Restaurant Row,” guests are greeted by towering columns featuring undulating half moons above patinated copper bases that quickly come to resemble two-story ancient samurai swords. A natural stone host stand sits in front of a full height wooden slat backdrop. A color base of wet sands is complemented by rich greens, copper, and black. Flooring is an end-grain, black wood tile and the walls are coated in sand-colored plaster installed to resemble unfolded, creased origami paper.
Designed by Studio K’s Karen Herold, an installation of resin leaves fabricated by hand in Chicago looks like a forest canopy. The sculpture throws organic shadows, reminiscent of leaves falling in autumn, onto the plastered walls, adding a natural contrast to the ultra-modern furniture. Meanwhile, high ceilings and low lying furniture play with scale and proportion to accentuate a soaring feeling in the space.
Photo: Courtesy of Nobu Hospitality