What do Family Restaurants and Workplace Design Have in Common? More Than You’d Think.

When Kokuyo asked DDAA to design a space for learning, the Tokyo studio hit on something brilliant: you can’t force people to be curious. But you can create a space that works with their natural impulses.

The answer was the Japanese family restaurants. Those 24-hour spots where students cram for exams, adults work on laptops, and everyone shares space without really interacting. It’s genius when you think about it.

Kokuyo Dig is an internal workplace where employees from different departments can dive into whatever interests them and share their knowledge. Instead of trying to control how people learn, DDAA built a space that simply gets out of the way.

A Little Bit of Magic: ANZ Gallery by Foolscap Studio.

An unexpected addition to the ANZ Docklands campus, this purpose-built gallery by Foolscap Studio is a counterpoint to everyday work activities.

“While one can provide an ‘educational’ function in terms of delivering and receiving information, one cannot control others’ curiosity and spirit of inquiry that are at the root of learning,” the architects explain. Fair point. So they focused on something they could actually control: the space itself.

After deep-diving into family restaurant design—yes, they measured booth dimensions and analysed everything—DDAA pulled out three key moves that make these places work.

First, they split the space vertically. Look up and you’re in a shared zone with clear sightlines across the room. Sit down, and you’re in your own little world, blocked by plants and green furniture that matches the floor. It’s clever: when you’re seated, you can concentrate. Stand up, and suddenly you’re part of the bigger picture.

Dynamic and Raw: Today Design Workspace in Collingwood by Studio Edwards.

What happens when you say goodbye to plasterboard? Melbourne practice, Studio Edwards, has a pretty good answer to that question.

Second, they scattered destinations across both floors. Library and light meal bar downstairs, snack bar and drink bar upstairs. This forces people to move around, naturally seeing what others are working on. The paths wind through organically, with furniture filling in around them to maximise workspace.

Third, tables come in all sizes, just like those classic family restaurant booths. The beauty is flexibility—spread out solo with your documents, huddle with laptops, or gather a group for discussion. Big low tables near the entrance let multiple teams work side by side, creating energy that hits you the moment you walk in.

The project became its own learning exercise too. DDAA worked alongside Kokuyo’s design team, documenting everything for an upcoming book. The result shows how smart design can set the stage for curiosity, even if it can’t create inspiration on demand.

A Contemporary Floating Greenhouse: BVN Brisbane Studio by BVN.

Embracing the greenspace, BVN’s Brisbane Studio blurs the boundaries between the interior and exterior.

[Images courtesy of DDAA. Photography by Kenta Hasegawa.]