retaW store Harajuku / The Archetype

Cristobal Rojas

7 years ago

Architects: The Archetype
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Architect In Charge: Nobuo Araki
Area: 26.35 m2
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: SHIMIZU KEN

Project Team: Jun Tsujimoto, Shigeru Nakao, Kenta Okamura
Construction: Kosakusha
Lighting: On&Off

From the architect. As retaW’s first street level store, retaW store Harajuku functions as a showcase for the fragrance brand.

The space is comprised of three elements (sections) with distinctive functions: “By Product,” “By Fragrance” and “Backspace.”

“By Product” is used to display and introduce the brand’s full range of products. Featuring display cases of products arranged by category, the section resembles a convenience store, a space designed in a straightforward manner based on its purpose and function. The section also embodies a distinctively Japanese or Tokyo-like style.

“By Fragrance” is the section in which customers can experience the brand’s various fragrances. The space incorporates a gently curved surface in order to provide customers with an emotive experience as they sample the fragrances. Referencing the brand’s name, an inversion of the word “water,” tiles were used for the displays and convey the atmosphere of a domestic space.

“Backspace” is located at the rear of the space. Finished with predominantly wooden materials, the section expresses the warmth of an everyday living space

In order for these three distinctively different elements (sections) to be constructed in harmony, the utmost care was taken to balance materials, use unexpected elements, refine section details and colors, use natural light and develop an interior lighting plan. The space was constructed in a way that resembles adding layers to a meticulous creation.