Beige, Tokyo
The interior of Japanese women’s brand Beige,’s newly opened concept store is a lesson in restraint and space efficiency. Located in a small space in Tamagawa Takashimaya shopping centre in suburban Tokyo, the serene interior is the unmistakable work of Japanese design studio Nendo. Known for its modest, punctilious collections, Beige, challenged Nendo to create a multi-functional space that could accommodate multiple uses: a shop for selling interior goods, a library space for book-lending and a gallery space for hosting regular events and art exhibitions in addition to the main clothing retail space. Nendo responded by slicing the space up vertically with a steel grid system, installed 2.05 metres above the floor, that functions as both a book shelf and clothes rail. Books are held in place by magnetic book ends, while a variety of unfinished, box-shaped fixtures that dot the floor are used as display plinths or step stools for accessing the bookshelves above. Highly flexile and visually neat this is an interior that perfectly embodies the ethos of its owner.
Maison Kitsuné, Paris
Following the opening of two pied-à-terres and a cafe in Tokyo last year and the launch of a cafe in Paris earlier this year, French label Maison Kitsuné continues the expansion of its empire with the opening of its second Parisian outpost. Located on the legendary Rue Madame on the Rive Gauche in Paris’ 6th arrondissement, the new boutique possesses a quiet Japanese elegance and sense of calm. The interiors – decked out in a subtle palette of beige, grey and powder pink – are the work of design and architecture agency Numéro111, who incorporated home-inspired elements to create a warm and welcoming space that they describes as ‘half living room and half boutique’. Echoing the pure lines and attention to detail found in Kitsuné’s collections, fixtures and furniture blend simple wooden frames with luxurious materials including copper, marble and leather.
