Vase Store / Kii inc.
Text description provided by the architects. Vase is a selected apparel store located along the Meguro River. Vase is a store that selects brands and clothes from all over the world based on the concept of “classic & avant-garde”. In this project, we wanted to create a place that expresses the store’s concept, which is full of attention to detail, by composing the space with a variety of different shapes, materials, and finishes, just like the products selected and collected from all over the world.
The wooden house, which was the site of the plane, was in a state where it could not be used as it was because everything was damaged. We removed the damaged parts and made minimal repairs using inorganic finishes such as white, gray, and mortar to make the most of the bare frame. For fixtures, we used a combination of everyday building materials such as larch plywood, corrugated sheets, galvanized and chromate plating, corrugated cardboard, and glass.
Functional parts such as door handles, hooks for fitting rooms, and leather for hanging hanger pipes were made by designers of brands handled by Vase. On the exterior, only the area around the entrance was painted white to retain the appearance of the building when it was used as a residence but to ooze a new atmosphere to the street.
The newly collected shapes, materials, and finishes are lined up flat in the old building without mixing. The contrast created by the new functionality in the wooden house that retains its old scenery was intended to resonate with the unique products and become a unique place, Vase.
