TOKYO.
The multi brand and shared areas for the women’s clothing floor on the third floor of the Seibu department store in Tokyo’s Shibuya.
The ‘contemporary luxury’ floor presents multiple brands together in a unified environment, but each brand needs to be gently distinguished from the others. The brands’ lineup and product arrangement change at a dizzying pace, so the fixtures needed to be easily modifiable. The design took inspiration from the wrought iron fences surrounding the parks, squares and other green spaces in European cities.
Nendo´s team created screens based on these fences, and suspended them from the ceiling as hanger racks for the clothes. The screens are easy to remove and relocate, and have built-in lighting to illuminate the clothes. They come in six different patterns, to give each brand a distinctive look. They also created ceiling-suspended shelves, as well as low floor fixtures inspired by park benches and a bench reminiscent of a fountain’s edge. To overcome cost and thickness restrictions for the flooring, they cut ordinary plastic floor tiles into different shapes and and created a variegated flooring pattern that recalls cobblestones.
The colourful changing room walls are finished with artificial ivy in different hues, and the changing rooms offer simulated outdoor light as well as indoor light, for checking clothes in a variety of environments. These designs create a free, lighthearted environment, similar to the experience of strolling in a park.
Photos: Nendo.
