Project Overview

Within just a few sandy steps, the sparkling Broadbeach shoreline melds into the entrance of Kōst (‘coast’ in Japanese), a contemporary bar and grill that unites earthy Japanese influence with breezy Gold Coast style. With Australia’s largest Mibrasa charcoal grill as its centerpiece, Studio Y creates an immersive, textural beachside haven.

Project Commissioner

SITE Hospitality

Project Creator

Studio Y

Project Brief

The brief from prolific Queensland restaurateur Dave Galvin sought to celebrate Kōst’s - beachside geography and pay homage to the menu’s Japanese inflections.

Studio Y amalgamated three former venues on Oracle Boulevard into one expansive dining space, with large frontal archways disrupting the traditional delineation between venue and street. The challenge was to allow Kōst to meld seamlessly into the azure vistas of Broadbeach, without compromising the comfort of guests dining outdoors.

Inside, the rounded motif persists. From the custom leather banquette seating to the arched ceiling design, half-moon windows, and curved light fixtures, Kōst subverts typically angular Japanese design cues to create a space that feels right at home in the Sunshine State. As guests travel through the restaurant, they are invited to experience its tactile qualities – raked and textured renders, natural stone, gleaming brass inlays, and warm timber.

By placing the restaurant’s theatrical grill zone in the middle of the restaurant, Studio Y has created not only a dramatic focal point but also a centralized service point to ease the flow from Kōst’s two major entrances on either side of the venue.

Boasting seating for 130 patrons, the result is an airy, generous space that successfully assimilates outdoor with indoor.

Project Innovation/Need

In line with its circular ethos, Kōst is designed to be a 360-degree sensory experience for guests, with points of interest placed everywhere they look in the venue. Turn one way, and you’ll see flames rising from the two-meter grill in the open kitchen. Turn another, and the generous wine cellar is in sight.

Other features, like a traveling champagne cart and subtle foliage, line the perimeter of the dining rooms.

From the boulevard, the view into the restaurant’s dramatic purpose-built dry age cool room provides some streetside theatrics.

Design Challenge

By virtue of sitting at the intersection of public and private space, Kōst had its own unique design considerations. All design decisions had to reflect not only the experience of its own customers but that of the general public who would interact with its peripheries.

Spatial planning also had to consider the limitations of the existing site, including fairly low ceilings that threatened to limit the amount of natural light entering the space. Strategic use of external windows and portholes between dining spaces and archways has mitigated this effect. Likewise, the substantial pre-existing bulkheads have been used to conceal key services in the ceiling.

Finally, the venue’s influences needed to be thoughtfully rendered in a way that ensures they feel evergreen - a subdued color palette and earthy finishes prevent Kōst from looking too ‘Glitter Strip’, while the Japanese inspiration is understated rather than pastiche.

Sustainability

With Kōst, Studio Y repurposed features of the original build – such as using the bulkheads to conceal key services – which meant additional materials were avoided. Each design element needed to have a practical purpose, rather than existing just for the sake of aesthetics. As with all projects, Studio Y worked with builders who prioritize using sustainably sourced timber.