jo nagasaka brings VITRA installation to blue bottle coffee in tokyo

jo nagasaka brings VITRA installation inside blue bottle coffee in tokyo
photography by koji honda

originally presented as the scenography for debuting VITRA‘s product line at the 2015 salone del mobile, jo nagasaka of schemata architects’ installation for the swiss furniture company has now moved to the blue bottle coffee in tokyo. in milan, the exhibition stand at the fair embodied a temporary warehouse character, illustrated with the predominant use of wooden pallets – stacked at different heights – where the extensive home collection with pieces by the likes of ronan & erwan bouroullec and hella jongerius were shown.

the façade of the blue bottle coffee in tokyo

the latest installment in japan is assembled and realized in a much smaller and less open-plan space. keeping to the industrial aesthetic, a selection of VITRA’s furniture have been integrated into the interiors, and fittingly all colored blue. outside, the timber pallets have been used and stacked on the terrace. the ‘belleville’ collection by the bouroullec brothers are among the VITRA pieces which have been seamlessly incorporated into the café space, where visitors can continue to take their coffee while enjoying the installation. designboom interviewed jo nagasaka of schemata architects about the collaboration with VITRA, and some of the challenges he encountered in developing the temporary installation.

DB: how did your collaboration between VITRA come about?

JN: it started with an e-mail from nora, co-CEO of VITRA, asking if she could drop by our office in tokyo. she came by and we casually enjoyed a good conversation – and at the very last minute, she asked if we could collaborate on their exhibition at the salone del mobile in milan. we had this talk on january 8th, 2015 – and the exhibition was scheduled to open in three months later! it was a very urgent offer.

wooden pallets have been used throughout the coffee shop

DB: did you intend to keep a consistent identity between the VITRA exhibition in milan, and in the temporary installation within the blue bottle café in tokyo?

JN: I wanted to propose a concept that would benefit both VITRA and blue bottle coffee – so I thought of using wooden pallets, the main component of VITRA’s milano exhibition, to transform the existing context of the blue bottle coffee cafe & roastery into a temporary exhibition space.

VITRA furniture is incorporated in the interior of the café

DB: what are some challenges you faced when designing this VITRA temporary installation?

JN: daily operation at blue bottle coffee extends from early morning till late night, 7 days a week. our biggest challenge was to finish the entire construction overnight!

wooden pallets are used to create display cases for the furniture

DB: what is your favorite piece of VITRA furniture that is on show in the installation?

JN: my favorite is ‘belleville’ by ronan and erwan bouroullec. actually, when I first saw it in milan, I felt that the design was rather conventional and formal, with a feeling of classic elegance. but when I placed it here at blue bottle coffee, I was pleasantly surprised to see the elegance and lightness that it created, which was a good contrast with the robust and industrial atmosphere.

read designboom’s article on jo nagasaka’s vision for the temporary warehouse showcase for VITRA here; and the construction of the blue bottle coffee shop here.

the overall interior is fittingly colored blue