the 'tohoku standard' shop in japan experiments with wooden display units

keiji ashizawa design and delinium arquitectes have completed ‘tohoku standard’, a souvenir shop specializing in crafts and handmade goods from the tohoku region of japan. the store design integrates furniture from local workshop ishinomaki laboratory ( founded and represented also by the designing architect, keiji ashizawa ) for its new retail location in sendai.

all images © takumi ota photography

led by ashizawa keiji, the design team proposed an interior space with store fixtures made from ishinomaki laboratory products. the individual units of the furniture can also be sold as products in the tohoku store.

the display features the ‘carry stool, ‘aa stool’, and ‘ma series’ stool

over six hundred units of the ‘carry stool’ were combined and stacked to form a display system along the surface of the walls. other simple pieces from the ishinomaki laboratory collection such as the ‘aa stool’ and ‘ma series’ were introduced as display platforms for the store’s merchandise.

the wooden units are stacked to create an interactive wall display

part of the guiding concept behind the designs of ishinomaki laboratory products is to use basic materials and turn them into utilitarian and functional furniture. the ‘tohoku standard’ store can be described as an ‘experiment’ in space-creation by using furniture, fully embodying the ideology of utilitarian design. combining the simplicity and graciousness of its wooden material, the result is a space that reflects the unimposing quality of ishinomaki laboratory’s furniture – allowing everything in the shop to stand out beautifully.

the tohoku standard store embodies the ideology of utilitarian design

the geometric ‘carry stool’ creates the appearance of honeycombs stacked neatly together

the simple materials and high quality finishes create a refined interior

the design allows the products themselves to stand out

the experiment in space creation creates a unique shelf system

the display furniture can also be bought directly from the store

project info:

project: tohoku standard（2016）
site: sendai miyagi　
architect: keiji ashizawa design / delinium arquitectes 　
project architect: keiji ashizawa / kenta hirayama / eduard mariné casals/marta ruiz gimenez
photography: takumi ota