Already celebrated in Japan for his contemporary floral arrangements, modern flower shops and popular cafes, Danish floral artist Nicolai Bergmann has now launched Natur, his first jewellery line.
Housed in a standalone store on a quiet lane in Tokyo’s Aoyama district, the space is as eye-catching as his nature-inspired collections of silver, gold and platinum jewellery. For starters, the angular building, which was constructed eight years ago by Japanese architects SANAA, is entirely encased in a minimal white metal mesh façade, with a concrete staircase leading to the entrance.
Secondly, the sunlit interiors, by Copenhagen-based firm OEO Studio, are a simple mix of concrete floors, glass walls and white spherical lights, by Italian maker Flos. There are splashes of warmth in the softly-curved slatted oak furniture and bespoke pedestals showcasing abstract floral arrangements – courtesy, no doubt, of the Nicolai Bergmann flagship store just opposite.
The jewellery itself is presented on individual porcelain displays, against a backdrop of silk and washi paper textiles handcrafted by generations-old Kyoto company Hosoo, inside OEO’s custom-made cabinets of ash and glass on powder-steel frames.
A white spiral staircase – cutting a neat circle into the concrete floor – links the building’s three levels, which are sparsely scattered with organically-curved furniture pieces in petal-like hues of rose, beige, white and green. Among them are OEO’s Coco chairs, low-lying Moon Tables by Space Copenhagen and a spherical Superloom lamp by Jasper Morrison.
Meanwhile, shoppers are able to sit down and try on jewellery pieces on the lower level, a white space with walls brightened by a series of graffiti-esque paintings in flower-like pastels by Danish artist Peter Bonde.
