Project Name: Hirotaka Fukuoka Store

Location: Fukuoka City, Japan

Design Team: TORAFU ARCHITECTS

Total Floor Area: 39.36 m²

Completion: 2025

Photography: Takumi Ota

Feature: The Hirotaka Fukuoka Store stands as a masterpiece of spatial storytelling, where TORAFU ARCHITECTS has created a retail environment that seamlessly bridges nostalgic mid-century aesthetics with contemporary sophistication within the compact 39.36-square-meter space in Fukuoka's prestigious "ONE FUKUOKA BLDG." This project, serving as the jewelry brand's first directly operated store in Kyushu and tenth location in Japan, exemplifies the architects' profound understanding and masterful interpretation of the "Mid-Century Modern" theme.

The design philosophy centers on "softness" and "luster" as core guiding principles, manifesting through a carefully curated material palette that achieves perfect expression. Warm brass with subtle patina effects, richly stained timber textures, and glossy ivory-toned finishes collectively create a retro-futuristic atmosphere that feels both familiar and refreshingly modern. The architects skillfully imbued the display fixtures with rounded forms, creating a unique retro-futuristic impression that perfectly merges nostalgic sentiment with contemporary innovation.

The space's central design element is a multi-volumetric sculptural display island that serves as a spatial anchor within the nearly square floor plan, while establishing powerful architectural drama within the compact footprint. The front features "The Fresnel," a recycled plastic lighting fixture designed by Dutch designer Dirk van der Kooij, which casts ethereal, gentle illumination that not only transforms the space's materiality but also allows soft light to permeate throughout the entire space, creating a captivating atmospheric experience.

Most striking is the vintage object positioned on the rear wall, whose form evokes ethnographic shields, providing a presence of tranquility and symbolism to the space. Mirror-polished brass, wood, and light-catching trim details overlap and interweave, creating a unique atmosphere resembling a "contemporary totem." These elements interact with indirect lighting concealed behind wall corners and floor-to-ceiling mirrors, generating infinite spatial reflections that amplify the spatial experience far beyond its physical boundaries.

The architects demonstrate exceptional attention to sensory transition details, introducing sound-absorbing compressed felt carpeting that allows customers to immediately perceive subtle changes in air quality when stepping from the building's hard public stone surfaces into this intimate jewelry environment. This design approach reflects the architects' profound understanding of user experience, creating what the architects describe as "a dense, generous void that quietly amplifies the delicate strength of Hirotaka's jewelry."

Design Team - TORAFU ARCHITECTS stands as a distinguished Japanese architectural practice founded by Koichi Suzuno and Shinya Kamuro in 2004, based in Tokyo, under the creative direction of founding partners, the firm has developed a reputation for pioneering multidisciplinary practice that transcends conventional architectural boundaries. The practice operates on the foundation of "architectural thinking," applying rigorous spatial logic across diverse project typologies including architectural design, interior environments, exhibition curation, product development, spatial installations, and film production.

Koichi Suzuno and Shinya Kamuro bring exceptional architectural experience and deep understanding of contemporary building practices to the firm. Under the leadership of founding partners, the practice has cultivated a distinctive design methodology that seamlessly integrates conceptual rigor with material innovation. Their portfolio encompasses landmark projects such as "TEMPLATE IN CLASKA," "NIKE 1LOVE," "HOUSE IN KOHOKU," and the internationally acclaimed "airvase" series. The firm's experimental approach to spatial design was exemplified by "Light Loom" (Canon Milano Salone 2011), which received the prestigious Elita Design Award Grand Prize.

The firm's design philosophy emphasizes that cross-disciplinary collaboration is as important as architectural precision, not rushing to standardized architectural solutions but believing that architecture should be a result of thorough understanding of spatial conditions, cultural contexts, and programmatic requirements. Through in-depth dialogue with clients, they formulate the core elements of the project then offer their expertise to transform creative concepts into architectural reality. TORAFU ARCHITECTS believes that exceptional design comes from collaboration with specialized consultants and artisans, they love to challenge themselves and push the design boundary further, with innovation being the key to maintaining their practice vitality.

Through this thoughtful synthesis of contemporary material usage, understanding of traditional spatial logic, and avant-garde architectural language, TORAFU ARCHITECTS has established itself as a significant contributor to Japan's contemporary architectural discourse, creating architectural works that are both rooted in local culture and embrace global design vision. Their work has been recognized with numerous international awards, demonstrating their ability to transform bold conceptual ideas into tangible architectural achievements.