Specialty food store, Nagoya

Storefront of a specialty coffee and food store with white tile, gold metalwork and an indigo ceiling (design rendering)

Completed storefront seen from the left, with an indigo ceiling and white tiled walls

Completed storefront with the bulk coffee-bean display at the front

Register counter with a tiled base and glass cases of coffee beans above

Concept sketch of the storefront — Concept sketch

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Type: Specialty food store
Location: Nagoya, Japan
Year: 2024
Role: Concept development, spatial design, spatial planning (completed independently)

Client

A food brand of a leading Japanese retail group, offering coffee beans, sweets and seasonings from around the world, with bulk coffee-bean sales and rare international products: a shopping experience that feels like travelling abroad.

Background

After designing apparel brands for the same group, I took part in an internal competition for the brand's new design, and my design was selected.

Client needs

Completely renew the existing store design and layout around a theme colour, in a form that can be standardised as a manual and rolled out to stores nationwide.

Design response

The previously linear circulation was reconfigured into an interactive, maze-like layout, with fixtures that encourage movement and longer dwell time. The design is unified by indigo blue, evoking a sky that invites a journey into the world. A symbolic register counter highlights coffee as the signature product, with gold-toned metal for an elegant atmosphere and a ceiling feature that encloses the counter. Wall surfaces and the upper parts of the columns carry the theme colour, setting a clear boundary for the shop within a large commercial space. At the storefront, branded coffee bags, showcased beans and seasonal display corners strengthen the concept.