TORAFU ARCHITECTS

We planned the renovations for the Takayama showroom at the head office of Hida Sangyo, known as a furniture manufacturer in Gifu. The showroom features a great number of products and we renovated the floor where are gathered the collaborative creations (of a group) of 10 designers, such as Enzo Mari and Motomi Kawakami.

Stages of varying heights are placed at the center of the floor on which the representative works of each designer are displayed. The pieces of furniture are displayed at different heights to accentuate the space and bring out their beauty as creations. Steps have also been placed to enable visitors to climb on some parts of the stage overseeing the whole floor. By using “sugi” (Japanese cedar) thinning wood for the stage along with dyed “S-wood”, a strand board manufactured in Gifu, we thought of showing the dedication to “monozukuri” (craftsmanship) of Hida Sangyo which embraces local initiatives with regards to materials as well.

The planning of the stage’s surroundings is intended to show scenes of furniture arrangements enabling visitors to come into contact with furniture in a more concrete manner. Moreover, rugs of different colors were posed to add variety to the space while engaging visitors in a polychromatic scenery.

In addition to posting designer profiles and actual size drawings alongside the stage, we set up bookshelves with books and related materials in order to create a space that fosters a deeper understanding of the products displayed on this floor. By promoting knowledge pertaining to each piece of furniture and featuring demonstration models, we envisioned a space in which visitors can experience the creations in more diversified ways.