021
gyokurinen, 2020
wakayama, wakayama

type: cafe
location: wakayama, wakayama
floor: 97.2 m²
date: June, 2020
constructor: hyugakogei
photo: nobutada omote
KUKAN DESIGN AWARD 2021 Long List

This is the interior design of a café at Gyokurinen, a long-established teahouse in Wakayama that has been in operation since 1854. The project site, located in a commercial facility in front of the station, was a distinctive island-shaped plot surrounded by common corridors. In order to take advantage of this feature, we did not build any walls along the lease line, and planned the space so that visitors can enter from all sides. A coarsely woven linen curtain was hung along the lease line to create a permeable and ambiguous boundary. On the other hand, the interior of the restaurant was designed with a tightly woven curtain to create a clear boundary between the seating area and the kitchen. The interior of the restaurant, surrounded by this double curtain, was designed to be a bright and comfortable space like a wide edge in a facility. This is a project that sought to create an interior that is open to its surroundings, rather than a store separated from the common area by a wall.