Rejuvenation Comes Nordic-Style at FYLGDU MÉR OSAKA
It’s not often that ‘Iceland’ and ‘Osaka’ appear in the same sentence, unless you happen to be visiting this novel new venture in the Japanese city
Image by Takumi Ota
Deeply inspired by the Nordic country, FYLGDU MÉR OSAKA is a three-level space on a quiet street in Nishi ward, with a focus on wellness, organic cuisine and environmental sensitivity.
Inspired by the notion of living simply, the establishment (home to a restaurant, treatment rooms and a one-bedroom suite) is the brainchild of restaurateur Ryo Kobayashi from Fukuoka, where he’s originally opened a sister restaurant of the same name.
The space was expertly designed by Osaka-based Teruhiro Yanagihara, who has created a minimal, serene ambience grounded by natural materials, an organic palette and carefully focused lighting.
‘The owner’s brief was not just to make a commercial space, but to help restore the normal circulation of the earth in times of such environmental destruction,’ explains Yanagihara. ‘When I thought about protecting the land, I found a lot in common with Iceland, where they continue to believe in and protect the land. Even though Iceland is far away from Japan, the ground is made from the same earth, the same water and the same soil. That’s why I decided to make this space inspired by Iceland. The idea behind the Icelandic name, which means “follow me", is that hopefully people will agree and connect with this space.’
The ground-floor restaurant specialises in delicious cold-pressed juices and organic cuisine with a focus on so-called ‘seed’ ingredients and native vegetation (picture colourful Middle Eastern-inspired mezzes, farm salads and peri-peri chicken sandwiches).
Interiors feature organically textured grey walls, made from kneading hemp charcoal into concrete (to purify the air and relax visitors), solid stools made from blocks of wood, minimal metal pendant lights, and a counter crafted from Kyoto soil by potter Naoto Ishii.
Up one level, the glass-fronted spa floor is where visitors can try unique treatments, including ‘energy therapy’ — which involves electricity flowing through the body via the therapist’s touch — and natural clay masks from original brand Ellefu by FYLGDU MÉR.
Meanwhile, the entire top floor is a one-bedroom space for overnight stays, with a large, square stone bathtub (a bottle of health-restoring sea water to add on the side), a private treatment room and a steam room with ganban-yoku (hot stone bathing) for detoxing on a heated slab of rock. The same raw-edged sense of nature filters through the upper space: from the roughly hewn wooden headboard to the countless shade of grey on the walls and floors.
For all its Icelandic-ness, there’s also a strong sense of the wabi-sabi, as reflected in the subtly off-kilter pot — also by potter Ishii — that takes centre stage in the atmospherically lit bedroom. The overall effect? A space that offers a natural and restorative retreat from the modern world.
Text / Danielle Demetriou
Image by Isao Hashinoki
Image by Isao Hashinoki
Image by Isao Hashinoki
Image by Isao Hashinoki
Image by Isao Hashinoki
Image by Isao Hashinoki
Image by Isao Hashinoki
Image by Isao Hashinoki
Image by Isao Hashinoki
Image by Isao Hashinoki
Image by Isao Hashinoki
Image by Isao Hashinoki
Image by Takumi Ota
