“Ura” means “backside,oposite,behind,reverse" in Japanese.
Concept shop by fashion designer "Mihara Yasuhiro" dealing with products that take into account environmental and social responsibility from a multifaceted perspective. A quiet, narrow, semi-basement plot on a back street in Harajuku/Jingumae Tokyo.
The interior of the shop, which weakens the boundary between inside and outside and seems to extend the area to the residential site opposite, is a minimal space with full LED screens and contrasting masses of glass, mirrored surfaces and stone. A mirrored 'rectangle' set on top of two stone blocks penetrates the room and juts out to the outside. Like conceptual art in public spaces, the 'irrational volume with no specific function' and 'unnecessary margins' leave the possibility for flexible use and diversion in an experimental shop where the products handled are not fixed.
The products do not blend in with the tensed design considered from the reverse side, which is not unlike the brand, and the contrast between the 'surfaces and lines' as a background and the 'dots' of the products stands out.
The mirrored 'rectangle' is anchored to the upper surface of the stone with anchor bolts and the ends are seal-glued to the glass surface. The detailing is such that it looks as if it continues inside and out, with the glass in between.
It is also “Outwitting” to keep distance from shop building and commercial interior design theories in the boundaries with residential areas.
Direction: Mihara Yasuhiro
Interior Design: Insideout ltd.(Hiroto Kubo, Irene Alonso)
Construction: Ishimaru co.,ltd. + Mihoya Glass Co., Ltd.
Lighting: HIBIKI, Inc.
Stone: Takebayashi Stone Masonry Ltd.
http://urajingumaebldg.com