At the opposite end of the spectrum from North American big-box stores are the conceptually driven and exquisitely realized retail designs of Masamichi Katayama.
Masamichi Katayama and his Tokyo-based firm, Wonderwall Inc., create stores with a focus on entertainment and experience—–not just dollars per square foot. Katayama is best known for the 45 (and counting) stores that he’s designed for the famed hip-hop clothing line A Bathing Ape (Bape), but Wonderwall’s client list also includes Dean & DeLuca, Uniqlo, and Meiji Seika, the Hershey’s chocolate of Japan. Even among the jewel-box boutiques and starchitect-designed flagships of Tokyo’s retail-crazed Aoyama and Daikanyama districts, Katayama’s interiors stand out. Their details are woven seamlessly into larger spatial narratives, and they’re seasoned with the designer’s trademark playfulness and penchant for experiential surprise.
Dwell visited Katayama in his Ebisu studio, where we discussed the delicate balance of comfort and challenge, context and concept, that defines Wonderwall’s popular style.
Comments
Be the first to comment.
Add a Comment
Related Articles, Products, and More
Articles
-
Wonderwalls
If choosing paint colors doesn’t give you a headache, the fumes probably will—unless you pick from the growing array formulated to be easy on the body, the planet, and not least the…
-
Yves Behar in Conversation
Among other great sessions at Dwell on Design, we're looking forward to a conversation with designer extraordinaire, Yves Behar. Known for numerous wildly successful products, from the first $100…
-
Dwell Conversations in DC Tonight!
Tonight I’ll be hosting the next Dwell Conversation, Designing Diplomacy, a panel discussion on the intersection of design and diplomacy at the Finnish Embassy in Washington DC. As easily one…
Products
-
Conversations with Frank Gehry
He’s the world’s only architect to guest star on The Simpsons and appear in Apple’s Think Different ads, but how well do you really know Frank Gehry? Think what you will of his…
-
Cities of Tomorrow: An Intellectual History of Urban Planning and Design in the Twentieth Century
An exhaustive history of modern Western urban-planning theory and practice, Cities of Tomorrow tackles everything from major figures and events that shaped 20th-century urban life to fundamental…
-
Designing the High Line: Gansevoort Street to 30th Street
The High Line reclamation and landscape project has captivated us for the last decade with its psychedelic vision of a 21st-century hanging garden. Transforming an abandoned railway viaduct into…
Dwell Collections
-
Architect Peter Cohen's Floor Plans
In addition to the wonderful letters architect Peter Cohen sent to Editor Aaron Britt while he was working on a feature story on his home, Maison Amtrak, he also sent in drawings of the four other…
-
Geigy's Graphic Design
Design Musem Zurich's current show Good Design, Good Business showcases the great graphic design from 1940-1970 of the Swiss chemical company Geigy.
-
Design Leaders
Tip
-
How to Build a Lighting Concept
I’m a fan of floor lighting plus a couple of small table lamps for the living room. Use ambient lighting and low-wattage warm bulbs to create a relaxed atmosphere.
Videos
-
Design Leader: Ken Isaacs
As part of our Design Leaders video series, architect Ken Isaacs reflects on the innovative projects that defined his career, from the Shoebox House to the Knowledge Box.
-
Emerging Designer: Louise Campbell
The Danish designer Louise Campbell has animated Royal Copenhagen and other traditional brands with a playful, experimental spirit.
-
Emerging Designer: Jason Miller
The first subject in our emerging designers series, Jason Miller draws on threadbare bits of Americana, serving up something entirely new with a sly, subversive spin.
Events
-
Design USA: Contemporary Innovation
This exhibition features outstanding contemporary achievements in American architecture, landscape design, interior design, product design, communication design, corporate design, interaction…
-
Bruce Nussbaum in Conversation with Ezio Manzini
Bruce Nussbaum, Visiting Professor of Innovation and Design at The New School and BusinessWeek contributing editor, will host a conversation with international design innovator Ezio Manzini as part…
-
Design S: Swedish Design Award
This exhibition will feature 19 shortlisted entries to Sweden’s biggest design award competition, which focuses on design for sustainability issues including climate, the environment, the…
-
