Retail

Subterms

    More stories

    • 138 Shares159 Views

      in Rooms

      Supreme's Los Angeles flagship features its first fully floating skate bowl

      by

      A team of architects and designers has mixed retail with a skateboard facility for clothing brand Supreme’s Los Angeles flagship store, sited in the building that was once home to the iconic record store Tower Records.

      The overall design of the he 8,500-square-foot (790-square-metre) store was carried out through a collaboration of London interiors studios Brinkworth and The Wilson Brothers – and New York architect Neil Logan.
      The Supreme store features its first fully floating skate bowlSupreme, a Manhattan streetwear brand catering to skaters, collaborated with Steve Badgett of SIMPARCH, a New Mexico to outfit, for a fully floating skate bowl.
      SIMPARCH previously constructed four skate bowls for Supreme, including a small peanut-shaped skate bowl in the previous Los Angeles store in 2004.
      Inside, light bounces off the polished concrete walls”We had a much bigger area to work with at this location, so the design process with Supreme’s circle of experienced pool skaters took more time to nail down the final form,” Badgett told Dezeen.

      The clover-leafed sculpted wooden skate bowl has three depths and a pale surface bordered by a darker rim.
      “The previous four bowls we built for Supreme were all considerable challenges but this one was a whole different animal with its greater size and structural complexity,” Badgett said. 
      The white box store sports a red logo on the renovated billboard fascia”Our engineer, Paul Endres, figured out how to eliminate columns anywhere near the bowl so it hung from the deck structure. He was able to do that without compromising the lean, fluid, aesthetic we wanted, and it allows the bowl’s organic form to be seen unimpeded,” he continued.
      Located in the site of the former Tower Record’s West Coast store, the one-storey white box store sports a blocky red logo on the renovated billboard fascia.
      “It was such an honour to take loving care of the historic Tower Records structure while literally raising the roof to accommodate the huge levitating skate bowl,” said Brinkworth founder Adam Brinkworth.
      “The site has gone from the world’s largest record store to the world’s largest Supreme.”
      SIMPARCH created the wooden skate bowlStorefront windows between triangular columns wrap the street corner, turning the sales floor into a display case.
      Inside, steel trusses raise the original roof and open the space with skylights for an illuminated interior. Light bounces off the elevated, wooden bottom of the skate bowl, which hovers on the far side of the store.

      Brinkworth designs “honed and clean” interior for Supreme Paris store

      A metal wall was installed around the bowl to produce blurry reflection of the skaters. The wall also features a jagged black-hole art piece by Nate Lowman.
      On the main floor, clothing racks and product displays wrap around two walls. Sandstone benches were placed on the polished concrete flooring to reference a LA skatespot called the Santa Monica Sand Gaps.
      A Mark Gonzales go-kart is parked in the centre of the roomThe reserved white and grey material palette defers to art installations for colour and texture. A full-size F1 car by Mark Gonzales was parked in the centre of the room, and a colourful grim reaper mural by Josh Smith is splayed across a wall.
      The skate-in-the-store concept has become a signature for Supreme, who works with other architects to install the feature in locations across the country – such as the stilted platform in the Brooklyn store designed by Neil Logan Architect and the elevated reverberating bowl by Brinkwork in the renovated San Francisco store.
      In advance of the new opening, the Fairfax Avenue location in LA closed earlier this month after 19 years in business.
      The photography is by Blaine Davis.
      Project credits:
      Architecture: Brinkworth, The Wilson Brothers, Neil LoganDesign: Steve Badgett of SIMPARCHEngineering: Paul EndresFabrication: Steve Badget, Chris Vorhees, Clay MahnComputer modelling: Peter Eng

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares199 Views

      in Rooms

      Running brand On models London trainer store on “shoppable science museum”

      by

      Swiss brand On has opened its first UK shop on London’s Regent Street, complete with steel fixtures and a robotic arm.

      For its debut outpost in the United Kingdom, On aimed to showcase the science and technology behind its running shoes and clothing.
      On has opened a trainer store on London’s Regent Street”Our concept was a shoppable science museum in the sense that one of the main things we want to share is that what we do is science-based,” said On’s head of brand environments Nicholas Martin.
      It is performance-run culture that is infused into everything we do.”
      The store’s ground floor is defined by three circular steel tables, used to display the brand’s latest products.

      The store contains three circular steel tablesEach of the tables, which can be raised and lowered, is surrounded by a curved steel wall that can be rotated to create a variety of layouts within the store.
      The table at the store’s entrance also holds a robotic arm that mimics the action of running to showcase On’s running shoes.
      The upper floor houses steel shoe cabinets”The first thing you actually see is our robotic arm,” Martin told Dezeen. “We want people to touch and explore. So you kind of get to see the movement.”
      “And then we also try to add different layers of storytelling,” he continued. “So you can compare the different shoes.”
      On describes the cabinets as a “magic wall”The first floor is defined by a pair of steel cabinets, described by On as a “magic wall” that runs the length of the store.
      It contains all of On’s products in all available sizes so that customers can instantly try on trainers.
      “Our goal was to revolutionise the way shoe try-ons happen,” said Martin. “At our stores, we let the product speak for itself. Our technology is something you feel once you put a product on.”

      Running brand On creates zero-impact mountain hut in Swiss Alps

      Contrasting the steel fixtures, the store’s walls were finished in natural clay sourced from Cornwall, which was applied by hand.
      On the ground floor and in the basement-level event space, the walls are painted in a muted shade of grey while on the upper floors, they are finished in green.
      The cabinets contain all sizes of On’s shoes”Swiss engineering means for us loving technology and the natural world,” said Martin. “Technology makes the store look sleek, nature helps us to give the store a more imperfect and warmer look.”
      “The store green is a nod to the legendary British racing green – a colour culturally saturated in movement, speed and engineering,” he continued.
      The store is On’s first in the UKFounded in 2010, On is known for its lightweight running shoes and is reportedly the fastest-growing running brand worldwide. Its stores form part of On’s wider efforts to build its brand internationally.
      “They offer a space for our fans, community and new customers to explore and get to know the brand,” said Martin. “We see the store as a media channel that connects our fans with the brand.”
      On previously created a reflective mountain cabin in the Swiss Alps to mark the launch of its first hiking shoe.
      All photography courtesy of On.

      Read more: More

    • 113 Shares189 Views

      in Rooms

      Snøhetta combines clay and oak in minimalist Holzweiler store

      by

      Architecture practice Snøhetta stuck to natural materials for the fit-out of the Holzweiler boutique in Copenhagen, incorporating subtle references to the fashion brand’s Norwegian heritage.

      Snøhetta is a long-term collaborator of Holzweiler’s, having designed the company’s flagship store and showroom in Oslo, as well as a number of its pop-up shops, runway sets and its digital identity.
      Snøhetta has designed Holzweiler’s Copenhagen outpostFor Holzweiler’s first international outpost in Copenhagen, Snøhetta followed the concept of “tracing” – devising an interior scheme that shows traces of the brand’s Norwegian roots alongside the minimalist aesthetic found in its previous retail spaces.
      “Reminiscent of a memory or feeling that remains, the idea of ‘traces’ evokes an emotional sense of the brand’s beloved heritage as it travels to a new city,” the practice said.
      A clay sculpture by Ingeborg Riseng sits at the heart of the storeAt the centre of the 100-square-metre store is a tall, hollow sculpture by Norwegian artist Ingeborg Riseng, which shoppers can step into. Its undulating outer walls are fitted with display shelves and coated in a smooth layer of clay, while the inside has a rough, craggy surface.

      An oakwood display plinth winds its way around the periphery of the store, eventually connecting to a curved timber partition at the rear of the floor plan.
      Around the edge of the store is an oak display plinthBehind the wall lies a changing area with cubicles and curtains created by Danish textile design studio Tronhjem Rømer.
      The fabric is digitally printed with subtle yellow and pale blue stripes, designed to evoke the shifting shades of the Norwegian sky.

      Snøhetta to restore and renovate Lille’s 19th-century Natural History Museum

      To contrast the store’s largely natural material palette, Snøhetta added some industrial-style finishing touches like metal clothing rails and custom strip lighting, developed by Swedish brand Ateljé Lyktan.
      Both the floors and ceilings were preserved from the store’s previous fit-out.
      Garments hang from steel railsOther recent projects by Snøhetta include Bolder Star Lodges, a quartet of wooden cabins that overlook a fjord in Norway.
      Meanwhile in Denmark, the practice employed boat construction techniques to create a timber community centre in Esbjerg.
      The photography is by Magnus Nordstrand, courtesy of Snøhetta and Holzweiler.

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares109 Views

      in Rooms

      Nagami 3D-prints recycled plastic to mimic melting glaciers in Spanish boutique

      by

      Spanish design studio Nagami has completed a shop interior for sustainable clothing brand Ecoalf near Madrid that is almost entirely 3D printed from recycled plastic.

      Walls, shelves and display tables inside the store in the Las Rozas Village designer outlet are made from 3.3 tonnes of repurposed plastic waste, sourced mainly from hospitals and used to create transluscent surfaces that resemble melting glaciers.
      Nagami has 3D-printed the interior of Ecoalf’s boutique near MadridAdditive manufacturing specialist Nagami created the plastic panels using a robotic arm equipped with a custom-built extruder that can print complex 3D forms, with the aim of uniting design and technology to raise awareness about the climate crisis.
      “We wanted to highlight the melting of the polar glaciers due to climate change,” Nagami co-founder Manuel Jiménez García told Dezeen. “So the walls are meant to represent a glacier that is cracking.”
      “The 3D-sculpted texture is a reference to the way the wind and snow erode the ice over time,” he added. “The idea was to recreate the sensation you might have when walking inside a glacier.”

      The interior was designed to resemeble a melting glacierThe Ecoalf store is the first fully 3D-printed interior completed by Nagami. And García believes it may be the first in the world to be fully 3D-printed using recycled plastic.
      The project was completed with a very short lead time of just three months from design to installation.
      Almost all of the surfaces are made from recycled plasticAccording to García, the undulating forms that cover almost all of the store’s internal surfaces pushed the robotic printing technology to its limit.
      “The machines needed to literally dance to create all of these different angles,” the designer explained. “Traditional 3D printing uses layers. But we can change the angle of the robot to make the kinds of curved and wavy forms you see in this project.”
      The walls are divided into panels and joined using connectors that form part of the printed structure. This meant that the tolerances needed to be very precise so that the components can slot together neatly.

      Nagami’s first collection features 3D-printed chairs by Zaha Hadid Architects

      On the floor, natural stone tiles feature veins reminiscent of cracking ice to enhance the feeling of walking on a glacier.
      All of the components used for the interior can be disassembled and reused or recycled for future projects. The plastic itself is almost infinitely recyclable, losing just one per cent of its structural performance with each new use, Nagami claims.
      The shop is located in the Las Rozas Village designer outletBoth companies share an interest in sustainable manufacturing, with Ecoalf creating clothing, footwear and accessories using recycled materials including plastic bottles, discarded fishing nets, used tyres and post-industrial wool and cotton.
      Similarly, Nagami works with recycled plastic to create furniture, sculptures, interiors and architectural elements as part of a closed-loop production process.
      The studio’s previous projects include several window displays for Dior, as well as a mobile toilet cubicle called The Throne and a collection of 3D-printed chairs by designers including Ross Lovegrove and Zaha Hadid Architects.
      Nagami used special robotic arms to 3D-print the panels. Photo by NagamiDuring the coronavirus pandemic, Nagami also made use of its quick-fire production process to 3D print face shields for medical staff.
      “We see 3D printing as one of the most sustainable forms of production,” García explained. “You don’t have to produce stock, it doesn’t create any fumes and it’s very versatile so you can create things on demand.”
      “In the future as we expand we want to have production sites around the world making things locally and reducing our carbon footprint even further.”
      All photography is by Alfonso-Quiroga unless otherwise stated.

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares109 Views

      in Rooms

      Gonzalez Haase AAS evokes Iceland's volcanic landscape at 66º North store

      by

      Architecture studio Gonzalez Haase AAS has completed a store on London’s Regent Street for Icelandic clothing brand 66º North, featuring curved walls and freestanding plinths made from rammed earth.

      The Berlin-based studio headed by Pierre Jorge Gonzalez and Judith Haase set out to create a holistic concept for the store that represents Iceland in an original way, rather than relying on stereotypes.
      The shop interior was informed by Iceland’s volcanic landscapesGonzalez Haase AAS let the natural elements and the country’s geology inform key design features such as curved grey walls that evoke the shifting weather and rammed-earth islands that represent the earth.
      “The weather in Iceland is a very real and prominent feature in the land and we classified this as static (the island) and forever changing (the weather),” the studio explained. “The static island of Iceland stands still in comparison to the constantly evolving and adapting weather, but this influences the perception of the island.”
      Rammed-earth islands add colour and texture to the shop’s interiorUpon entering the space, visitors encounter a series of curved walls rendered in natural pigmented clay sourced from Cornwall in the south of England.

      The designers said the use of different grey tones represents the changing weather: “the immaterial, movement, changing, blurry and informal”.
      Grey walls represent Iceland’s shifting weatherThe curved walls vary in height and frame different views within the store. At the entrance, one of the walls stretches back 18 metres, drawing the viewer’s gaze into the space and offering a tactile introduction to the experiential interior.
      “These curved walls create different perspectives and atmospheres,” the design team added. “They sit in front of the existing white walls to create a dramatic foreground of rolling soft curves.”

      AIA Estúdio designs cave-like interior for clothing store in Rio de Janeiro

      A series of monumental rammed-earth islands are inserted throughout the floor plan, adding colour and texture that evokes the earth and magma of Iceland’s volcanic landscape.
      The islands were created by artist Lennart Frank, who cast and sculpted them from an aggregate mix of different lava rocks to create a layered effect.
      The islands were made from an aggregate mix containing different lava rocksA combination of pigmented aggregate and sand gives the islands their reddish-brown hue, while the rugged texture brings a tactile element to the space that complements the brand’s clothing.
      The earthy tones are echoed in the metal clothes rails, as well as in the colour of a carpet applied to the surfaces within a more intimate space at the rear of the store.
      Earth-toned carpet was used in parts of the shopA custom-made mesh ceiling was designed to evoke a misty white sky, while also concealing lights and technical equipment.
      Mirrors and screens displaying films of the Icelandic landscape help to define the flow of movement through the space and add a playful dimension to the shopping experience.
      The shop is located on Regent Street in LondonGonzalez and Haase founded their Berlin-based studio in 1999. The firm works on commercial, residential and cultural projects, developing spatial concepts and experiences that foreground the interplay between light and architecture.
      Previous interiors designed by Gonzalez Haase AAS include a minimal office for a Berlin communications firm and a sparse, white-walled concept store in Lisbon that occupies a disused warehouse.
      The photography is by Thomas Meyer, Ostkreuz Photography.

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Pink-tinged paint store Lick pays homage to London's art deco buildings

      by

      Dusky pink surfaces appear throughout the Lick store in southwest London, which local practice Oskar Kohnen Studio has designed as a “deliberate celebration of paint”.

      Lick’s store is nestled among a parade of boutiques on Northcote Road and is the first brick-and-mortar outpost opened by the paint brand since its launch in 2020.
      Lick has opened its first physical store in LondonTo honour the occasion, Oskar Kohnen Studio wanted to design the 55-square-metre store as a “deliberate celebration of paint”, which he describes as “one of the most immediate and most intuitive ways to create a space”.
      “We live in a time where interiors are full of marble and precious finishes and I wanted to do the opposite,” said the studio’s titular founder.
      Pink paint was applied to the store’s ceiling and part of the wallsPink-tinged paint store Lick pays homage to London’s art deco buildings

      Lick’s facade, ceiling and a majority of its walls were therefore painted a bespoke dusky pink hue called Northcote 65 that the brand created specifically for the opening.
      Walnut wood trims run around the central tableKohnen says this largely monochromatic colour scheme is a nod to the Northcote Road of the past.
      “Looking at old pictures of the high street shops from the 1950s, every one of those stores used their own simple colour combination to give identity,” he explained. “It’s so beautiful how colour was used back then.”
      The store’s floor has white and grey tilingIn the store’s central room, the lower half of the walls was painted off-white to create a contrast with the ceiling and in turn draw more attention to the loftiness of the space.
      This room was designed to have a distinctly art deco feel with the help of a handful of clean, shapely details. At its centre is a white oval table with walnut wood trims and a curved metal pendant lamp suspended directly above.
      “Northcote Road pretty much ends at the iconic Battersea Power Station, which has exactly those deco elements,” said Kohnen. “I’ve always been a fan of London art deco, which is somehow less fancy and simple, quite often just painted simple ornaments.”

      Oskar Kohnen Studio adds pastel cabinetry to Lunettes Selection store

      Lick’s paint tins are showcased on a custom shelving unit, with one side finished in pegboard panels for mounting brushes, rollers, finishing tape and other handy tools.
      “I wanted to create the feeling of a workshop or atelier,” added Kohnen. “I wanted to stay true to the Lick DNA, making sure the store was a place one could not only pick colours but also try them out and get creative.”
      In this spirit, the store’s grey-and-white tiled flooring mimics that seen in the Atelier Martel – an art studio that architect Robert Mallet-Stevens completed for sculptors Jan and Joël Martel in Paris in 1927.
      Products are mounted on pegboard panellingShould customers want a more in-depth consultation with one of the Lick team, they can head to the back of the store. This area is centred on a vintage steel-legged table by Danish designer Nanna Ditzel and black editions of the curved 3300 chair by Swiss designer Bruno Rey.
      Another small seating area located near the storefront features a duo of sage-green velvet armchairs.
      Vintage furnishings feature throughout the interiorAnother striking paint store to be featured on Dezeen is Helsinki’s Cover Story, in which a number of unfinished details are meant to evoke thoughts of renovation and home improvement.
      Previous colour-focused retail projects by Oskar Kohnen Studio include a mint-green eyewear store in Berlin with towering floor-to-ceiling cabinets.
      The photography is by Alexander Edwards.

      Read more: More

    • 113 Shares119 Views

      in Rooms

      FOG Architecture transforms Beijing courtyard house into fragrance store

      by

      Chinese studio FOG Architecture has turned a courtyard house in Beijing into a flagship store for fragrance brand ToSummer with exposed wooden roof trusses and columns.

      Located within a 500-square-meter Siheyuan complex, the store occupies  a 280-year-old courtyard house that are common in the region.
      The store is located at a restored courtyard house in BeijingFOG Architecture renovated the building to reveal its original architecture, which features triangle-shaped timber roof trusses and series of wooden columns.
      Layers of decorations added on the structure over the years as well as some of the interior walls were removed to expose the core wooden structure of the building as well as to create an open view of the space.
      The studio exposed the wooden roof trusses and columns of the original building”We ‘skimmed’ the building to expose its ‘skeleton’,” said the studio. The resultant ‘column field’ became the visual centre of gravity of the space as well as what defines its outline.”

      “One of the challenges of the project had to do with the building’s old and new functions – more specifically, how to transform this venerable courtyard which has stood for nearly 300 years as a private residence into a commercial space that is neighbourly, communal, and all-inclusive,” it continued.
      Product display areas are arranged around the courtyardsGlass windows were installed at the storefront, inviting visitors on the street to observe the complex layout of the old courtyard house, while glass walls were used to divide the space.
      Product display areas were arranged around three courtyards of various sizes at the ground level of the complex, each connected by a bridging hallway, which the studio described as “symbol of graduating from the past to the present”.

      FOG Architecture creates kinetic display for Super Seed’s Hangzhou store

      On the first floor,  FOG Architecture remodelled the roof space to create a lounge area overlooking the building’s roofs.
      These roofs were restored with the same grey brick tiles from the original building layered in the same density.
      Grey brick tiles from the original building are restoredA rain chain was hung from the roof connecting to a hundred-year-old well of the site. The well-preserved brickwork of the well echoes the delicate crafts of the roof tiles.
      FOG Architecture was founded by Zheng Yu and Zhan Di and has offices in London, Shanghai and Chongqing.
      Previously the studio has completed flagship stores for ToSummer in Beijing and Shanghai. Other recent retail project from the studio include Super Seed’s Hangzhou store featuring kinetic display.
      The photography is by InSpace Architectural Photography.
      Project credits:
      Design team: Zou Dejing, Wu Leilei, Wang Shengqi, Tang Mo, Lei Ronghua, Jiang Lu, Huang Yingzi, Zhuang Shaokai, Sun Yuan, Zhang Xinyue, Chen Yixuan, Zheng Yining, Tao Xinwei, Cao Xiaomao, Hou Shaokai, Xiong Aijie, Khoon Choi (client representative), Zhan Di, Zheng YuProject management: Shen Qianshi (client representative)Lighting Design: Zhang Xu, Liben DesignStructural engineering Consultant: Tao Xinwei, Wang HaiboConstruction drawing: BS DesignContractor: Youlong Jinsheng

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares109 Views

      in Rooms

      Karimoku opens Kyoto showroom informed by traditional houses and temple gardens

      by

      Designer Keiji Ashizawa has created the interior of Japanese furniture brand Karimoku’s second showroom, which features a combination of its own wooden furniture and pieces by local artists and artisans.

      Set in a three-storey building, the brand describes Karimoku Commons Kyoto as a “hybrid space”, which will function as a showroom and also house office spaces for employees.
      The space is located inside a former machiya – a traditional Japanese wooden townhouse – in Kyoto, a city known for its temples, Shinto shrines and gardens.
      The showroom is located in a Kyoto townhouseAshizawa, who has worked with Karimoku for years and also designed its first showroom in Tokyo, looked to the history of both the city and the building when designing the interior.
      “I really wanted to use the language of the townhouse and also took inspiration from Kyoto gardens,” Ashizawa told Dezeen.

      For the showroom’s ground floor area, he drew on the doma areas in traditional Japanese homes, which had bare dirt floors and functioned as a bridge between the indoors and the outdoors.
      It features wood furniture and wood panelling by KarimokuHere, Ashizawa placed furniture in light-coloured wood, including chairs by British architect Norman Foster and pieces by Danish studio Norm Architects and Ashizawa himself.
      The floor is grey concrete, which was matched by pale-grey plaster walls and a ceiling in the same colour.
      Art and ceramics by Japanese artists decorate the spaceWooden slats, of a kind traditionally used in Kyoto homes and stores to let light into buildings while maintaining privacy, cover parts of the glazing at the front of the room.
      Light wooden panelling by Karimoku hides built-in storage spaces and functions as a shelf.
      The first floor has a darker colour paletteOn the first floor, Ashizawa chose to use a darker colour palette, with furniture pieces in smoked oak wood and flooring and wall panels in dark wood.
      “When you visit a tourism house or a temple in Kyoto, the old wood, like on the temple floors, is a very dark colour,” he said. “I thought such a colour had to be the key colour [for the project].”
      The layout of this area also drew on the walkways and paths of Kyoto’s temple gardens.
      “It’s more of a guide to how to articulate the space,” Ashizawa explained. “We can think of the furniture as an art piece or a stone – it’s a kind of installation.”
      A wall alcove functions as a tokonoma display spaceThe top floor of Karimoku Commons Kyoto will function as a “library space” and showcase the latest collections and collaborations from the contemporary Case Study, Karimoku New Standard, MAS and Ishinomaki Laboratory brands.
      Throughout the showroom, earthy ceramics and rough-hewn sculptures by Japanese artists were used as decoration, which add to the organic feel brought by the wood.

      Keiji Ashizawa draws on “whiteness of tofu” for tactile Saga Hirakawaya restaurant

      Pieces by ceramics brand Nota Shop in the nearby Shiga prefecture and vases by Kyoto artist Ai Ono were among the objects chosen for the space by stylist Yumi Nakata, who worked with Ashizawa on the project.
      These were placed on tables and shelves as well as in wall recesses informed by traditional Japanese tokonoma alcoves, where homeowners would display artistic objects.
      Keiji Ashizawa designed the interior of the showroom”There are so many places in which to show something,” Ashizawa said of Karimoku Commons Kyoto.
      “In a traditional Japanese house, there are many spaces like this, showing paintings, ceramics or flowers, which I think is one of the beauties of the culture of the Japanese house. In many ways, we tried to make such a space.”
      The top floor displays a variety of furniture piecesKarimoku, which is Japan’s largest wooden furniture brand, started out making traditional Japanese furniture.
      It now also works with a number of designers on the more contemporary sub-brands Case Study, Karimoku New Standard, MAS and Ishinomaki Laboratory, which are the four brands that will be sold in the Karimoku Commons Kyoto showroom.
      The Kyoto space is Karimoku’s second showroom after TokyoAshikawa hopes the space will help to promote a modern design aesthetic.
      “Karimoku is trying to promote modern furniture in modern life,” he said. “I need to explain about the Japanese living space situation – for example, in 1960, sixty years ago, we didn’t have much furniture in the living space.”
      “And then the modern living space came to Japan and people started buying their tables, chairs and even the sofa; it’s quite new, so people don’t necessarily understand how to use a sofa,” he added.
      “Japanese living spaces can be too messy, so it’s quite nice to show them like this.”
      Previous projects by Ashizawa include a curve-shaped tofu restaurant and a Blue Bottle Coffee shop in Kobe. Karimoku recently collaborated with Foster on a collection of furniture used in the architect’s Foster Retreat in Martha’s Vineyard.
      The photography is by Tomooki Kengaku.

      Read more: More