TORAFU architects merges raw, industrial elements with vintage pieces for 'boy tokyo'

TORAFU architects renovates the interior of a two-story building in tokyo’s harajuku district for hair salon ‘boy’. aiming to emulate the salon’s signature cutting technique ‘hazushi’, which translates to avoiding over-completion, the architects created a space that appears almost undone and gives a sense of creative change.

all photos by daici ano

for ‘boy tokyo’, TORAFU architects completely stripped down the interior, creating a raw, industrial space which they finished off by bringing in the salon’s existing furniture and lighting pieces. collected for over 35 years, since the founding of ‘boy’, the different pieces connect the new salon space with memories from its past.

the two-story building features the hair salon on the first and second floors, a beauty salon on the mezzanine floor and a rooftop garden. a large piece of furniture integrates various functions on the first floor including the reception counter, cloakroom and work counter while loosely dividing the treatment area and waiting space. on the second floor, all the fixtures besides those attached to walls and pillars are moveable to allow the floor to be used for various activities such as lectures, workshops and movie projections.

the structure’s existing concrete floor was polished and coated with epoxy resin, while a two-story high window features a curtain bordered by a black ribbon to softly bring in natural light. on the mezzanine floor, a suspended structure takes advantage of the 5.3 m high space to offer a private beauty room.