nendo designs BbyB's first overseas chocolate shop in ginza, tokyo

nendo designs BbyB’s first overseas chocolate shop in ginza, tokyo
all photos by daici ano

nendo has designed the first overseas shop for antwerp-based chocolatier BbyB, run by two-michelin star chef bart desmidt. the belgian brand’s chocolates may look the same from the outside, but they come in 30 distinctive flavours — from strawberry, pepper and lemon to passionfruit and basil — that are wrapped in modular packaging. each set of sweets is presented in five bars, all individually slotted into a sliding box, which collectively form a cube. their contents become apparent only gradually, as as they are opened and closed, offering surprises until the very last bite, turning the cube into a ‘magic chest of drawers’.

the chocolates are available in 30 flavors, each of which are showcased in a transparent case

following this logic, the japanese designer has turned the shop space into a three-dimensional version of the chocolate packaging. the confectioneries seem to float in a transparent ‘chest of drawers’, placed at the centre of the retail space against a white wall tiled in the candy wrapper, so that the entire partition turns into another ‘drawer’ in which customers can remove their desired flavors for purchase.

a 12.5m long transparent display case stands at the centre of the interior

towards the rear of the shop, the 12.5 m long transparent chest transitions into a showcase that displays the products individually, ultimately forming a counter for customers at the shop’s café. while the front of the store is conceived as an entirely white space, the rear café is entirely black, following the colour scheme of BbyB’s signature packaging cube. the design creates a seamless transition between the shop space, the packaging and the act of eating the chocolates, offering an organic, compelling experience.

the transparent case emulates a large drawer extending out of the wall

the display case transitions into a bar for the café at the shop’s rear

interior view of the café rendered in all black to contrast the all white shop

full view of nendo’s scheme for the BbyB chocolate shop in ginza

shop front