AESOP Newoman Yokohama by TORAFU ARCHITECTS
Retail store | Yokohama, Japan
AESOP Newoman Yokohama | TORAFU ARCHITECTS | photography : Courtesy of Aesop, BUAISOU
DESIGN NOTE
Expressing the ocean with Indigo blue
Hull-like walls with a gentle curve
Natural indigo to evoke a sense of human touch
photography : Courtesy of Aesop,
words : Reiji Yamakura/IDREIT
Torafu Architects has designed a store for an Australian botanical skincare brand Aesop in a commercial facility NEWoMan Yokohama. Inspired by its location in port-city Yokohama, the designers, Koichi Suzuno and Shinya Kamuro choose an indigo dye to express the ocean's blue.
When we asked them about their design process, they replied, “We have designed about 13 Aesop stores so far, and since we are always expected to create different fit-out, we basically think of it as ‘one material for one store’. Also, at Aesop's Store, we practice the opposite of the general approach, deciding on the materials first and then planning the entire space based on those materials. For this Yokohama store, we chose indigo dye to express the blue of the ocean and asked BUAISOU to help with the dyeing. They are a young team based in Tokushima Prefecture that handles everything from indigo cultivation to dyeing and production.”
For BUAISOU, who has mainly dyed indigo for fashion, this was the first time to dye building materials, so the dyebath size was not sufficient, and the design team had to special order a bath that could soak a whole wall material over 2 meters long.
The members of BUAISOU soaked maple boards in a custom-made 2-meter-long bath and dyed them with indigo at their studio in Kamisaka, Tokushima Prefecture. (photography: BUAISOU)
By dyeing each piece by hand, a natural look that cannot be seen in mass-produced materials was created.
The shelves on the wall were also dyed by BUAISOU.
Regarding the design, the duo says, “We aimed to create a generous space that evokes the power of human hands and nature through natural and powerful indigo dyeing, which is different from mass-produced materials.” A hull-like wall with a gentle curve was created in the long and narrow store with a depth of 16 meters. The indigo-dyed maple wood is arranged in a random pattern of tones, creating a beautiful gradation. It is also fascinating to see the different expressions of day and night. In keeping with the theme of the ocean, the tabletops were designed to resemble the bottom of a ship.
Indigo dyeing was used not only for the interior but also for the hand mirrors and staff's aprons so that the site-specific experience was offered inclusively.
DETAIL
The shelves for the tubes were newly designed in a wavy shape. The indigo-dyed wall materials were placed in an ideal balance, taking into account the knots and the colours.
Based on the concept of the ocean, the tabletop was shaped like the bottom of a ship. Besides, the vibration finished stainless steel legs reflect the indigo blue colour.
The shelves were indigo dyed by BUAISOU in the same way as the wall. The length of the wall material is 2275mm.
CREDIT + INFO
Name : AESOP Newoman Yokohama
Design: Koichi Suzuno, Shinya Kamuro, Minaho Sakane/TORAFU ARCHITECTS
Furniture: Karimoku
Indigo dye: BUAISOU
Construction: D.BRAIN
Location: NEWoMan 4F, 1-1-1 Minamisaiwai, Nishi-ku Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, Japan
Owner: Aesop Japan
Main use: Retail store
Completion date: June, 2020
Floor area: 106 sqm
Material
floor: polished mortar
wall: indigo-dyed maple + urethane clear finish
ceiling: PB + AEP
display table: top/indigo-dyed maple leg/vibration finish stainless steel
