SKWAT/twelvebooks by DAIKEI MILLS
Jingumae, Tokyo, Japan
SKWAT/twelvebooks | DAIKEI MILLS | photography : Daisuke Shima
DESIGN NOTE
Guerrilla store inspired by ‘squatting’
Bright blue FACADE that catches the eye in the streets
photography : Daisuke Shima
words : Reiji Yamakura/IDREIT
‘SKWAT/twelvebooks’ was the first project of SKWAT; the independent movement started by Keisuke Nakamura of Tokyo-based design studio DAIKEI MILLS. The name SKWAT was inspired by ‘squatting,’ which Nakamura saw in London in the past. They teamed up with art book distributor twelvebooks to create a bookstore called 'thousandbooks' that sold their books for 1,000 yen per book.
DAIKEI MILLS has renovated a small, characterless house in Harajuku that used to be a dry cleaning service with a bright blue exterior and interior in order to appeal powerfully to the people of the neighbourhood. In response to the concept of communicating the value of art books, a photograph of the ‘Strahov Monastery Library’ was printed on the wallpaper behind the newly installed blue bookshelves.
DETAIL
The designer picked up the photo images of Strahov Monastery Library and printed it on the wallpaper to cover the wall.
DAIKEI MILLS installed blue wrap sheets to cover the architecture.
CREDIT + INFO
Name : SKWAT/twelvebooks (Jingumae)
Designer: Keisuke Nakamura, Kai Naganawa, Yosuke Yagi, Koki Kumagai, Kazuki Sato / DAIKEI MILLS
Graphic design: Kenzo Shibata
Construction: D. BRAIN + DAIKEI MILLS
Location: Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Date: December, 2019 - April, 2020
Floor area: 48.0 sqm
Material:
exterior wall / removable wrap (blue)
interior wall / custom-made photo printed wallpaper
floor/needle punch carpet (blue)
