The original Nobu, which opened in 1994, helped establish the Rockwell Group as one of the world’s premier hospitality design firms. Elements like birch-tree sculptures and smooth stacks of river rocks along the walls were, at the time, revolutionary. For this winning second act, they kept some of these notes but added references to origami and other artisanal traditions.

In the main dining room, abstracted tree forms–this time in ash–appear to support a canopy in the same wood. Plush red velvet hangs of the backs of banquettes, upholstered in patterns that combine Japanese patchwork and Peruvian colors.