BACKYARD by | n

At the end of last year’s Summer, the super inspirational multidisciplinary Japanese creative studio nendo created this beautiful retailconcept for ‚BACKYARD by | n’ — an original brand exclusive to the Japanese designer’s own products — located in the Seibu Sogo department stores in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro and Shibuya, and in the Yokohama Sogo space. BACKYARD refers both to a shop’s storage space or loading dock and a tiny paradise for children, an outdoor space for free play. The clean minimal white fixtures bring out the beautiful variety of the different products, but what we love most about the inspirational design are the plinths and in stands’ plywood, on which texture appears gradually towards the base, creating a very elegant aesthetic touch within the clean spaces.

We wanted to combine the novelty of the commercial back yard, in which new products arrive straight from the workshop, with the excitement of playing in the back yard at home.

The studio on what inspired the designs for the extraordinary stands:

Most shops hide the plywood base of their fixtures under licks of paint, so showing it like this brings the shop’s ‘backyard’ into the shop itself, casually and nonchalantly creating a link between the hidden world of production and the shopping experience.

BACKYARD offers Nendo the opportunity to showcase its growing range of products, which nowadays stretches from fashion accessories to homeware. Pieces in the by|n collection include bent-wire baskets and umbrellas with two-pronged handles that stand unassisted, both launched only last year. Lamps made from crinkled paper, moulded paper and wire mesh – all created while working with local artisans – are suspended from the ceilings. At the Ikebukuro store, the displays are arranged around a chunky central column rendered in concrete. The same material is used on a panel that provides a backdrop for the square space in Shibuya, and covers corner walls on two sides of the larger area in Yokohama. Yet another highly inspirational project by nendo!

Photography by Masaya Yoshimura.

For more information see here.