masamichi katayama / wonderwall pierre hermé tokyo store renovation

in 2004 pastry chef pierre hermé met with japanese interior designer masamichi katayama of wonderwall, to collaborate on the brand’s first japanese flagship store. twelve years on from the opening, the space had been renovated once again to celebrate a new theme ‘everyday is a whole new day’ – a concept that encapsulates the idea that each new new day is an opportunity to discover new tastes, sensations and pleasures.

on the street level of the reinvented boutique, masamichi katayama has created different areas to cater and serve towards different functions. from macarons to french viennoiseries skillfully imagined by pierre hermé, the shop presents a collective of all of the pastry chef’s creations. right from the entrance, clients can discover a counter filled with chocolates and fresh cakes, as well as viennoiseries and other delights. to the side of the staircase, an exclusive new area titled ‘crossover’ has been created. constructed as a pop-up shop the corner displays and proposes a variety of original goods including more than 40 recipe books written by pierre hermé.

the upper level is dedicated to ‘heaven’ – a unique space which presents an aerial kitchen where visitors can watch and enjoy the maison pastry chefs at work. the salon is a dedicated space for sweets connoisseurs, with the glamour befitting of haute pâtisserie, whilst also introducing playful touches of the night floor. a pop-art neon sign created by artist makiko tanaka greets the customers at the top of the stairs, whilst the service counter doubles as a dj booth for private events.

‘destroying what I created, is to give what I had created with my own two hands a dated impression, which puts more pressure on me than ever before to create something better, and I enjoyed this challenge. there indeed was pressure, but my excitement surpassed what held me back. this was a design project through which we will discover something new about ourselves through the brand pierre hermé paris, and it was our opportunity to experiment with next generation of luxury, which was amazing.’ masamichi katayama

you can read designboom’s interview and studio visit to the wonderwall studio, where masamichi katayama discusses his collaboration with pierre hermé as well a number of other subjects including his opinion on retail experience vs. e-commerce.