With the recent opening of The Periodic Table at Public Market comes one of the Food Hall’s most intricately designed interiors. If you haven’t yet visited this Japanese craft beer and sake purveyor, you are in for a visual treat.

A collaboration between Periodic Table’s owners Jake and Hiroko and the award-winning interior design and architecture firm Arcsine. Based in Oakland, Arcsine has designed interiors for restaurants, hotels, offices and residences throughout the Bay Area and beyond.

Jake and Hiroko’s background as chemists informed not only the bar’s name, but played a key role in its design. We caught up with the team from Arcsine to learn more about their work.

Interior Designer Britney Gildea noted that the team kicked off by studying “the chemical process for making sake, traditional Japanese joinery and the Japanese art of hosting. The inspiration for the tile pattern is derived from the shapes we found as we studied molecular structures.”

“We also looked closely at the shape of the benzene ring (the hexagon shape) which became a recurring visual element in the space on tiles, screens, and ceiling, illustrating the integration of chemistry in sake and food,” added Interior Designer Soo Yoo.

And how did the team achieve the welcoming environment The Periodic Table provides?

“By carefully matching the wood species and grain for the wall panel, shelving and counter, the back bar wall as a whole has the feeling of an inviting residential kitchen, as if Jake and Hiroko were welcoming guests to their home,” Arcsine Architect Tracey Bornstein noted.

Part of Arcsine’s attraction to The Periodic Table project was Jake and Hiroko’s vision for making sake approachable.

Architect Irene Yu said, “We’re incredibly excited as The Periodic Table is a space about bridging the gap between Japanese sake and the American market. And we love being part of projects that nurture an open exchange of culture, flavors and ideas.”

Sounds intriguing? Plan your visit to The Periodic Table today!