Hasta La Ideas

Designer Reiichi Ikeda inserted boxy partitions that follow the pattern of existing ceiling trusses into this clothing boutique in Osaka, Japan (+ slideshow).

Reiichi Ikeda designed the narrow interior of retail store Nietzsche to display a collection of clothing brands.

The sparsely furnished all-white space has been filled with of an arrangement of counters and free-standing painted wooden partitions.

The partitions and benches are all different heights, creating a maze-like pathway through the store.

Ikeda told Dezeen the client didn’t have a strict brief, but simply requested an interior that made the clothing on display “look attractive”.

“I felt that it was important to remove the colours for displaying these clothes, so I used white in the interior rather than black,” Ikeda explained.

“There are random partitions in the long and narrow space to adjust the view, which you can find a bit too wide without these,” he added.

At the top of the new partitions, Ikeda has created a series of openings that mirror the the forms of the existing ceiling trusses in the space.

Customers can manoeuvre their way through the store around the benches and partitions to access clothing hanging on metal rails. These are attached to both the ceiling and concrete floor by long, thin metal wires.

Original wooden boards lining the ceiling and metal trusses have also been painted white.

Rectangular mirrors are attached to various sections of the walls, while bare light bulbs hang at low points throughout the store.

Photography is by Yoshiro Masuda.

Here’s a project description from Reiichi Ikeda Design:

Nietzsche

This boutique carries various unique brands in Horie, Osaka.

At the first visit to this long narrow site, the trussed ceiling structures caught my eyes in the space which had only white painted walls. The trussed structures showed a presence in the blank environment, and I felt the sigh dotted with them was already made up as a good design.

I planned my design should be an extension of this existing sigh, and worked on it based on the concept of “structures + structures”. I partitioned the boutique with trussed design panels at the same places as where the trussed ceiling structures are on just to link to them.

After I made interior constructions linked to the building ones, just the shape of the structures became to handle the general public flow line. I tried transforming the functional part of the building constructions to the design element, and gave dynamic image to the boutique.

Project Name: Nietzsche
Use: clothing store
Location: 1-9-12-1F, Minami-Horie, Nishi-ku, Osaka-city, Osaka, Japan 550-0015
Area: 64.41 square meters
Date: Aug. 17, 2013
Client: Kenji Nakai
Constructor: Takakura Construction Inc.
Lighting: Ushio Spax Inc.

The post Reiichi Ikeda divides narrow Japanese
clothing boutique with boxy partitions appeared first on Dezeen.

A crimped wooden screen with a triangular hole through its centre divides the spaces of this beauty salon in Osaka by Japanese designer Yusuke Seki (+ slideshow).

Yusuke Seki used a simple palette of wood and white paint to make the interior of the Kolmio+LIM salon reflect colours of natural skin tones, then added a selection of pastel colours reminiscent of nail polish.

“We designed the zigzag wall in white to represent the basic skin tone,” Seki told Dezeen. “Through shadow and light it creates more definition.”

The crimped wooden screen cuts the space into two sections, but also folds around a corner to line the edge of a sidewall. “The zigzag wall catches the natural light and evokes differences, like the skin and nail tone does,” added Seki.

A blue-painted feature wall provides a backdrop for the reception area, which features small wooden seats made from tree trunks and a wooden bookshelf.

This space opens into a main room with six wooden tables for nail treatments and two reclining chairs positioned off to the side for pedicure treatments.

Customers have to step through the triangular hole of the crimped wooden screen to access the beauty treatment area at the rear of salon.

Eyelash treatment chairs are separated by shimmering gold curtains that are partially transparent, while a pale pink feature wall with additional mirrors creates an extra seating area.

The pastel colours chosen for the walls reference coloured buildings in the surrounding neighbourhood, while a linear grid of wooden blocks creates a parquet floor.

Photography is by Takumi Ota.

Here’s a project description from Yusuke Seki:

The Nail Salon Kolmio+LIM

The Nail Salon is designed with iconic triangle division as it reflected the meaning of “Kolmio”.

“Kolmio+LIM” is a nail salon located in Osaka, the western capital of Japan, which is where our client LIM started her first hair salon. They have since expanded their beauty business. “Kolmio” is taken from the name (kolmio+LIM) the Nail Salon means triangle in Finish.

The store layout of basic wood and white has been designed to reflect the essential colour of natural skin tones, and the space itself is intended to symbolise the process of nail colouring. The zigzag wall and natural lighting refraction make references to the twinkle glitter reflection of nail polish, and the colour themes of the design represent the various layers of nail polish applied one after another.

Yusuke based the design, of various tones of white, upon basic natural human nail colours. He tried to express the Japanese proverb “Diverse men, diverse minds”, which directly translates as ‘ten people have ten different colour’; as every person has their own skin colour as a base for colouring, to bring a new personality by adding layer upon layer of beauty work requires precision by the nailist.

The coloured walls take their inspiration from the neighbourhood buildings just outside the window, as a way of incorporating the surrounding aesthetics, as part of an overall interior design theme. “Kolmio” is originally an intricate triangle decoration. This stores’ dynamic shapes are inspired by kolnio and possess an iconic value, as well as providing a functional division through the centre of the space. All of the design methods are inspired by there environment, and the actions all happened surroundings.

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crimped screens and golden curtains appeared first on Dezeen.

A garden snakes between the cedar-clad walls of this house in Osaka by Japanese architects Arbol Design (+ slideshow).

Arbol Design chose to enclose the garden within the high walls that surround the property to keep the spaces out of view from tall apartment buildings close by.

“There was concern about overlooking from the park and the apartments nearby, plus views within the site to the buildings outside,” said the architects. “We solved it by encircling the entire house with a wall.”

Designed for a retired couple, the single-storey wooden home stands out from the rendered concrete multi-storey apartment blocks in the Nishimikuni district of central Osaka.

The gravel garden planted with small trees winds around the bedroom at the front of the property, passes the dining room and tatami area then ends beside the bathroom at the back.

Its path is broken by a small portion of corridor in the centre of the plot that connects the front section of the house to the rear. Large windows along the route flood the rooms with natural light and allow the foliage to be appreciated without venturing outside.

The perimeter wall blocks all views of the neighbourhood so only the sky is visible from inside, though thin vertical slits allow glimpses beyond.

The same cedar cladding used externally also covers the floor, while other indoor finishes are kept neutral. Entry to the home is through an inconspicuous door off the side of the partly covered front driveway.

We’ve posted a couple of Japanese houses already this week. One features a staircase that folds around a double-height bookcase and another includes playground swings that can be hung inside or out.

See more Japanese houses »
See more architecture and design in Osaka »

Keep reading for more information from the designers:

House in Nishimikuni

What are one-storied houses like in the centre of cities? The surroundings and privacy matter, or how to use the outer space of the house. We pursued simplicity and richness the most.

By decreasing the number of the rooms as much as possible, we made it possible to use rich materials in the spaces. Furthermore, take away unnecessary stories and let in the natural sunshine instead.

This house is designed for a retired couple, proposing a new style of one-storied house located in the centre of Osaka city.

There was concern about overlooking from the park and the apartments nearby, plus views within the site to the buildings outside. We solved it by encircling the entire house with a wall.

You could see a beautiful colour contrast in green from planting within the site and in blue from the sky. We created a S-shaped garden across the house so you could enjoy it anywhere, and it is as if you were in the forest watching a river running!

This one-storey house surrounded with lined-up condominiums has created a new concept of richness, in the concept of not needing to be chained to thoughts about how large the ground space is, or how convenient it is.

The post House in Nishimikuni
by Arbol Design appeared first on Dezeen.

A timber lattice supports shelves, worktops, lighting and mirrors down one side of this beauty salon in Osaka by Japanese designer Yasunari Tsukada (+ slideshow).

Located in the Kitahorie neighbourhood, the salon occupies a long and narrow building, so Yasunari Tsukada designed a clean white interior with few partitons to keep the space as open as possible.

The gridded wall of timber runs along the right-hand side of the space to create workstations for seven stylists, each with a number of possible shelving configurations.

“We wondered if we could create flexible, extensible walls without imposing any limitations on their functionality,” explains Tsukada. “In concrete terms, our solution involved building three-dimensional lattice screens resembling parts of a jungle gym that function as architectural pieces of furniture.”

Openings in the grid create spaces for mirrors, while pendant lights hang through from above and glass panels can be slotted in and out to rearrange the shelving layout.

Two extra seats face a large mirror on the opposite wall, while a plywood screen accommodates a reception desk.

A narrower wooden framework provides additional shelves towards the rear of the 28-metre-long room, plus a hair-washing area is tucked away at the back.

Named end…Link, the salon is one of the first completed projects by Yasunari Tsukada, who launched his studio in 2012.

Other recently completed salons in Japan include one lined with ceramic tiles and another with birch trees wedged between the floor and ceiling. See more salon interiors.

Photography is by Stirling Elmendorf.

Here’s some more information from Yasunari Tsukada:

end…Link / beauty salon

The name of this beauty salon was inspired by the owner’s passionate desire to turn it into a destination for “the last word in beauty”. Although the design was first completed about five years ago, the previous premises soon grew to feel a little cramped due to the rapidly expanding size of the team, which prompted the owner to move to a new and larger location.

The rented unit that the owner had prepared as the new platform for his venture was a slender, elongated space measuring 28m deep, with a frontage of 4.4m. Taking advantage of this narrow frontage, we configured each of the spaces in a straightforward manner by taking cues from the existing frame and contours of the property. In addition, by making efficient use of the length of the unit, we were able to maintain a certain distance between each space while connecting them seamlessly to each other. Keeping the number of partitions to an absolute minimum and painting the entire space white achieved a feeling of abstraction, as well as a sense of giving equal importance to both the new and old materials that comprise the walls, ceilings, and floors. The result was an interior that gave pride of place to the people and objects within it.

The styling space is where the owner’s particular obsessions and passions came to the fore. He requested that we incorporate various functional elements into the mirrored surfaces (for storing or hanging objects). In response, we wondered if we could create flexible, extensible walls without imposing any limitations on their functionality. In concrete terms, our solution involved building three-dimensional lattice screens resembling parts of a jungle gym that function as architectural pieces of furniture. These screens were created using only a structural framework, with no particular significance attached to the form of the lattice itself. When lighting fixtures, glass panels, hooks and other objects are attached, however, the lattice begins to take on a new dimension. Affixing glass panels turns them into display shelves, or tables for the use of customers. Just imagine the transformations that these lattice screens will undergo, thanks to the multiple efforts and innovations of the staff.

Our heated, passionate discussions with the owner gave us real food for thought. Over the course of many meetings, our plans and designs continued to evolve and change repeatedly. Before long, we found ourselves starting to enjoy the progress of these changes. Thus was born a space that would serve as a base for the owner and his team to communicate their ideas and thoughts to their clients, promising the start of a new phase in its evolution and growth.

Project information
Project Name: end…Link
Location: Kitahorie Nishi-ku, Osaka, Japan
Use: Beauty Salon
Built area: 114.56m2
Completion : 2012 November
Design: Yasunari Tsukada design
Contractor: Infinity

The post end…Link beauty salon
by Yasunari Tsukada appeared first on Dezeen.

Garments hang from a wall-mounted wooden grid inside this Osaka fashion boutique that Japanese studio Ninkipen! has recently completed (+ slideshow).

The store for Japanese fashion brand Ring has an L-shaped plan and the wooden structure wraps the prominent inside corner to create a flexible display hanger.

“We tried to create uniqueness in this shop by maximizing the potential of the given space,” said Ninkipen! founder Imazu Yasuo.

Cement boards line the two walls behind this grid, contrasting with the white-painted surfaces of the remaining walls.

Fluorescent lighting tubes hang from the ceiling on wires to illuminate the space from above. “Utilising the high ceilings, they light the whole space uniformly,” explained Yasuo.

Additional garments are presented on glass tabletops and within recesses in the walls.

Ring Osaka is located in the Herbis Plaza shopping centre.

Ninkipen! have previously worked on various shop fit-outs, including a clothing shop with fake doors and a bakery where bread is displayed on a wooden sleeper. See more stories about design by Ninkipen! »

Above: floor plan

Photography is by Hiroko Kawata.

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by Ninkipen! appeared first on Dezeen.