Via worldarchitecturenews.com
Designer: Yusuke Seki
All photos: Takumi Ota via worldarchitecturenews.com

To an eco-minded spirit that does not bear to witness the wasting of any resources, the newly renovated Maruhiro flagship store must bring a very particular joy. In an unexpected twist of imagination, discarded pottery pieces take on a new life as a platform floor and turn the space into a feast for the beauty lover.

Ceramics-Store-Design
As the leading producer of Hasami ceramics, Maruhiro is continuing the area’s 400-year old tradition of ceramic tableware production. Such a history heavy with efficiency is bound to produce a large number of side products – among them, the imperfect ceramic pieces that fill the Monohara, the “trash pit” where broken pottery is abandoned.

Pottery-Store-Design
Inspired by the very concept of Monohara, Yusuke Seki designed an interior that is not only unique and quirky, but also a tribute to the long-standing tradition behind Maruhiro ceramics. 25,000 pieces of tableware that were found defective after the bisque-firing process were gathered from different pottery factories in the Hasami area and transformed into bricks. Filled with poured cement, the “Shinikiji” pieces were placed in layers and became a raised central platform, perfectly suggesting the history that supports the final Maruhiro products.

Platform-Floor-in-Store-Interior-Design
As the central element of design and as a visually arresting structural and decorative choice, the pottery platform made other major improvements to the space unnecessary. The store leans towards minimalism, with white walls echoing the monochromatic design of the platform floor.

Pottery-Bricks-in-Store-Design
Brick stairs and rectangular wooden display shelves retain the simplicity of the space, so that the pottery floor remains the focal point. To the perceptive customer, the unfinished stairs appear as a fitting symbol of the historical ascent from yesterday’s pottery to today’s beautiful ceramic pieces.

Minimalist-Pottery-Store-Design
Please take a look at our Before and After images of selected projects from 2015 HERE.

If you are thinking to open up a new business or in a process of rebranding and remodeling your existing business, contact us to get a free consultation from Mindful Design Consulting. Click HERE to price your project design.

Also, take a look at “Branding By Interior” e-book, the only book written on this subject at this time. It brings insight on how you can turn your business into a market-dominating competitor by using human cognitive responses.

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