Keiji Ashizawa designs minimalist Loca Niru restaurant within Singapore's historic House of Tan Yeok Nee

Japanese architect Keiji Ashizawa has completed Loca Niru, a French-Japanese restaurant housed within Singapore's historic House of Tan Yeok Nee. The 1880s Teochew-style building, designated a National Monument, features an ornate exterior with decorated roofs and wooden shutters. Ashizawa, founder of Keiji Ashizawa Design, deliberately contrasted this with a pared-back interior using wood, stone, and washi paper to create a calm atmosphere. He described the project as a dialogue across time, where new contemporary elements respect the original scale and proportion. The architect collaborated with Japanese brand Karimoku on custom furniture and designed bespoke Echizen washi paper lamps with geometric shapes. A neutral palette of greige, natural wood, and grey hues was chosen to allow light and materiality to dominate, contrasting with the building's decorative exterior. Artworks by Japanese artists and woven textile hangings provide subtle decoration. Ashizawa told Dezeen he aimed to create an environment where architecture recedes and human experience comes forward, fostering a sense of stillness where guests become aware of time and presence. The restaurant's name derives from two Zen concepts. Project credits include local architect Lian Architects, construction by Sunray Woodcraft Construction Pte Ltd, tiles from Dantousha, and lighting planning by Aurora Inc. and Yoshiki Ichikawa. Photography is by Tomooki Kengaku.