I was very flattered when Yukino approached me to design the new Simply Native Japan (SNJ) store. As a company promoting traditional Japanese artisans and crafts, SNJ brought to Sydney many hidden treasures which stood the test of time, providing a glimpse into the depth of the Japanese culture- and for such a company to approach a Taiwan-born, Australia-trained architect, to me signified a shared universal appreciation of design sensuality without cultural preconceptions. For that I remain deeply grateful.
There are 3 essential parties for a successful project delivery: client, designer, and builder. Here I had a trusting client, so what was my job as the designer? I believe that Architecture is a way of life- the physicality of design is to, and only to, support the non-physical way of the individual lives I design for - be it commercial, residential, or public project.
For SNJ, my design needed to support the value of the company. A value which questions fast consumerism, promotes appreciation of details, and celebrates characters of individual artisans. An appropriate context was necessary to bring out the essence of this value. I took hints from traditional Japanese country houses (“kominka”) and structured spaces of various proportions into the large western heritage volume of the premises. Every action in the shop - looking up the tall display wall, taking shoes off to step up into the cosy tearoom, moving the delicate screens to explore spaces - brings people one step closer to where the products came from, subtly instilling a deeper understanding and connection with the objects on display, building a sense of intimacy between people and the objects; in an abstract way, these actions also slows down the perception of time in the shop.
The relationship with the builder has been a highly collaborative and satisfying one. Haiyan and his team have brought expertise and flexibility, and most importantly, a spirit of “wanting to do better” to the build. We established a common vision from the beginning of the project, which enabled easy communication throughout the process. Like all constructions, this process was not without its unique challenges, but we were able to overcome together to arrive at a good result.
Similar to the community SNJ has created over the years, I feel this project has definitely been a team effort from the three parties. I am proud to say that SNJ is a place for people to take a break for a minute from their busy lives, to “smell the roses and enjoy the view” on their different life journeys. I hope you enjoy coming to the SNJ shop, as much as I loved working on this project.
