Natur — Tokyo, Japan
Already celebrated in Japan for his contemporary floral arrangements, modern flower shops and popular cafes, Danish floral artist Nicolai Bergmann has now launched Natur, his first jewellery line.
Housed in a standalone store on a quiet lane in Tokyo’s Aoyama district, the space is as eye-catching as his nature-inspired collections of silver, gold and platinum jewellery. For starters, the angular building, which was constructed eight years ago by Japanese architects SANAA, is entirely encased in a minimal white metal mesh façade, with a concrete staircase leading to the entrance.
Secondly, the sunlit interiors, by Copenhagen-based firm OEO Studio, are a simple mix of concrete floors, glass walls and white spherical lights, by Italian maker Flos. There are splashes of warmth in the softly-curved slatted oak furniture and bespoke pedestals showcasing abstract floral arrangements – courtesy, no doubt, of the Nicolai Bergmann flagship store just opposite.
The jewellery itself is presented on individual porcelain displays, against a backdrop of silk and washi paper textiles handcrafted by generations-old Kyoto company Hosoo, inside OEO’s custom-made cabinets of ash and glass on powder-steel frames.
A white spiral staircase – cutting a neat circle into the concrete floor – links the building’s three levels, which are sparsely scattered with organically-curved furniture pieces in petal-like hues of rose, beige, white and green. Among them are OEO’s Coco chairs, low-lying Moon Tables by Space Copenhagen and a spherical Superloom lamp by Jasper Morrison.
Meanwhile, shoppers are able to sit down and try on jewellery pieces on the lower level, a white space with walls brightened by a series of graffiti-esque paintings in flower-like pastels by Danish artist Peter Bonde.
ADDRESS
5-5-20 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku
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Danielle Demetriou is a British writer and editor who moved from London to Japan in 2007. She writes about design, architecture and culture (for newspapers, magazines and books) and lives in an old machiya townhouse in Kyoto.
Instagram - @danielleinjapan
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