Directory

Retail Directory 2009 

Duras Ambient

Tokyo

Since 2003, Tokyo-based architect and principal at Sinato, Chikara Ohno has been behind Japanese clothing specialists DURAS ambient’s retail spaces, designing their shops across Japan. His latest efforts for the store in Funabashi in the Chiba prefecture opened last May. Here, Ohno chose to play with strong contrasts between light and shadow, experimenting with spatial illusions, and aiming to create a dynamic open space that draws attention to the brand’s youthful designs. He designed a second skin made of ebony for the store interior, dressing the full length and height of the room’s interior walls in a sleek black polished wooden surface. The cladding reaches to the ceiling, where it peels off into large triangular hanging partitions before dropping to the ceramic tile floor. Framed by a wide central skylight-style opening, the store’s display area is divided into smaller sections and flooded with natural light. Cleverly, the partitions can also be used as clothes hangers. Aiming for a dramatic effect, Ohno lights the vertical surfaces only on one side, which is also painted white to create a sense of movement that’s enhanced by the thick shadows cast from the interior’s geometric shapes.

2-1-1 Hamacho
Funabashi, Chiba 273-0012

www.sinato.jp

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