ABSTRACT
In 1984, the interior of Coates’ Kensington flat was featured in Japanese design magazine Brutus.3 The issue was seen by Chinese entrepreneur Shi Yu Chen, who subsequently commissioned the design of the Metropole, a restaurant in Tokyo which opened in 1985.4 This led to two more projects in Tokyo, the Bohemia Jazz Club (1986) and Caffè Bongo (1986) – which were published in numerous international design and architecture magazines, launching Coates’ career seemingly overnight. As a result, following Gamma City, when NATØ was arguably at the height of its success and media attention, the focus shifted to Coates, whose vivid, charming personality and ease with the press began to outshine the
broader NATØ story. Though Villanueva Brandt, Prizeman, Beevor, and Mull all worked on different aspects of the Tokyo projects with Branson Coates Architecture, and there was no falling-out as such, a sense of discontentment mounted – the NATØ name and reputation apparently co-opted by the practice to charm new clients and garner more media attention. Villanueva Brandt recalls that many of the contacts NATØ made as a group were instead taken up by Branson Coates Architecture, and that individuals such as Iwona Blazwick shifted their attention away from NATØ towards Coates.5 Prizeman points out that correspondence addressed to NATØ was sent to the Branson Coates Architecture studio, and in particular, following the Boston show there was a sense that the rest of the group were often unaware of invitations or opportunities that may have arisen.6
