Tattu

Contemporary Chinese cuisine in a truly unique setting, Tattu draws visual inspiration from body art and the development from its origins in the east. The name comes from “a combination of ‘Tattoo’ the art form that inspires our interiors and ‘Tatau’ which is an ancient word from eastern culture that means to ‘make a mark’.”

Yarwood Leather’s Utah Anthracite features in Tattu’s first restaurant in Spinningfields, Manchester and now features in Tattu restaurants in Leeds, Birmingham and the newly opened Edinburgh restaurant. Aside from the amazing food, Tattu pride themselves on creating unique spaces in each of their restaurants.

We’re taking a look at each of the Tattu restaurants, what sets them apart and how our Utah Anthracite has been used in different ways in each of the restaurants.

Tattu Manchester – The Original Tattu

Setting the bar for Tattu restaurants, the very first Tattu restaurant opened in Manchester back in 2015, featuring the well-known blossom tree and leather seating throughout.

Our friends over at Telegraph Contract Furniture were also involved in creating seating for the Tattu Manchester site. Their Miami Chairs feature our Utah Anthracite, “Utah was specified for the particular colour as well as the softness and durability of the leather. After over a year of being in the restaurant, it’s aged well with plenty more life left in them.”

Tattu Leeds – The Debossed Look

Adam Jones, MD of Tattu, spoke to us about the inspiration for the Leeds restaurant, which also features our leather debossing service on seating from Telegraph Contract Furniture.

“What inspired the design for your second restaurant, Tattu Leeds?” 

Each of our restaurants takes visual inspiration from body art and the development from its origins in the east to its prominence in today’s western culture. Tattu Leeds has built on this inspiration focusing on the detail offered by contemporary body artists, which is replicated using intricate natural materials such as Bardiglio marble and basalt rock that has been imported from Hong Kong.

The Leeds site also features a cherry blossom tree adorned with white petals in tribute to Yorkshire’s white rose emblem. In Asia, the cherry blossom tree is a symbol of luck holding the belief that it showers people with love and happiness. It’s such a popular element in our Manchester restaurant and we wanted to demonstrate how, as part of the Tattu brand, the blossom has grown, which is why we chose to use more blossom in Leeds. It creates such a unique atmosphere for diners and becomes an instant talking point, which is fantastic for us to see as operators.

“Having completed the Manchester restaurant, what did you learn before designing the new Leeds restaurant?”

We’ve definitely learnt a lot about how customers react to design, how different elements work within the context of the restaurant and the journey we have created for our guests. With Leeds, we wanted to reflect our own progression and how the brand has grown, so we looked at how body art has advanced and the new techniques that are prominent in today’s work. The details you see in modern body art are so intricate and beautiful, we wanted all of the elements in our design for Leeds to reflect this.

We strive to be unique in everything we do, so we had to do our research to find new materials that we could incorporate into the design for Leeds that reflected the overall concept. We’ve been lucky to work with some fantastic suppliers who’ve gone above and beyond to meet our brief and feel the finished aesthetic in Leeds is completely unique, while still complementing our first restaurant in Manchester.

“Why did you choose Yarwood’s Utah leather with the debossed detail?” 

Leather is a material that features heavily in Tattu Manchester. We wanted to continue using the material in Leeds but introduce a different aesthetic and texture for the new venue. We chose a dark marble for the floor and wanted to incorporate lighter elements that would offset the darker materials. When we saw a sample of how our ’T’ symbol could be debossed into the Utah leather, we knew this would give us that all-important detail and high-end finish. We have some hand-tooled leather in Manchester and this, for us, was another way to show how leather can be a canvas for tattoo work using a different technique to ensure it was unique to Leeds.

Tattu Birmingham – A change from the norm

Tattu Birmingham is set within the Historic Grand Hotel, as this was a preexisting space, Tattu have created a yin and yang feel, embracing the heritage of and paying homage to the old boiler room that once occupied this space.

In keeping with the previous restaurants, the beautiful blossom trees which have become synonymous with the Tattu brand were once again chosen. For this space, Utah Anthracite was chosen for seat pads on Telegraph’s Anna Armchair and Louis Side Chairs throughout the design.

Tattu Edinburgh – Embroidery Detail

Inspired by Scotland’s cosmopolitan capital, Tattu Edinburgh pays homage to the relationship between ‘traditional and contemporary’; complete with a Chinois-style interior that features intricate wooden fretwork, antique furnishings and chinoiserie fabric panelling partnered with polished marble walls and reflective finishes to provide a modern twist.

Occupying the ground and basement level of the newly refurbished Mint Building on West Register Street, the brothers behind the brand, Adam and Drew Jones, have invested in the regeneration of the prestigious development to create a space inspired by both the rich historic and contemporary characteristics of the city.

Tattu Edinburgh will welcome guests to dine under a tunnel of Sakura blossom, recreating the tranquillity of a Chinese garden setting. In the Far East, cherry blossom is a symbol of luck and good fortune – the trees are a signature element of each Tattu site, each one being unique in design.

To add a new twist to our Utah Anthracite for this latest restaurant, Tattu chose to have added embroidery detail on the leather seating. Yarwood was happy to offer their on-site embroidery service to add gold-threaded detail. We asked Adam Jones about the inspiration behind the design…

“What was behind the design decision to include leather and the embroidery detail of the koi fish and dragon in the Edinburgh design?”

Leather is a skin, which means it can be tattooed, so it’s a complementary material for us to use as part of brand’s overarching concept. We wanted to apply bespoke tattoos our furniture and chose ornate koi and dragon designs which are very prevalent in Chinese history in line with the ‘traditional meets contemporary’ design brief for the site. The gold embroidery looks classic and luxurious against the modern grey Yarwood Anthracite.

Learn more about Tattu, our Utah Anthracite or our Embroidery Service