Behind the Tech:
Powering Nobu Toronto Hotel

Custom shading and lighting control for a luxury dining experience

SOURCE: LUTRON ELECTRONICS |  PHOTOGRAPHY: Joel Esposito

Since the first Nobu restaurant opened in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood in 1994, its signature Japanese-Peruvian fusion cuisine and focus on service have earned a reputation for delicious, inventive fare and elevated ambiance among discerning diners. Nobu is now a global hospitality brand with restaurants, hotels, and branded residences around the world. Nobu Toronto, its 56th restaurant and first in Canada, opened in August 2024.

A reservation at Nobu is a highly anticipated event, so it was crucial that Toronto-based interior designer Studio Munge craft a space that felt in line with the luxurious, truth-in-material design ethos that all Nobu restaurants share while feeling fresh and localized to the diverse Toronto market. The result is a striking interior that blends refined Japanese minimalism and Canadian craftsmanship into one dramatic sensory experience across two levels and over 10,000 sq ft.

The design team chose Lutron’s Athena control system, paired with automated Sivoia shades to control this statement space. Charcoal e-screen shades keep the atmosphere of the street-level Nobu Bar moody and intimate while still maintaining that inviting connection the outdoors. In the main dining room, Lutron worked with a local screen printer to custom-print gingko balboa branches on the Sivoia shade fabric to extend the natural motif of the central porcelain pendant. Interior shades in private dining rooms can also be lowered to provide VIP guests with the utmost privacy. While lights and shades are set to adjust automatically via preset scenes, a manager can easily make edits on the fly with a tap of an Athena Touchscreen or the Lutron app for an infinitely customizable experience.

The restaurant sits at the bottom of a pair of contemporary towers purpose built by Turner Fleischer to house the restaurant, along with the Lutron-powered Nobu Hotel, which opened in June 2025, and approximately 700 Nobu branded residences. Toronto represents the first integration of Nobu Hospitality’s three pillars—hotel, restaurant, and residences—worldwide.

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