Danish furniture brand Fredericia worked with local studio Flooat for the launch of its first showroom in Tokyo, which has a minimalist interior that nods to its location in an industrial concrete building.
Fredericia and Flooat designed the showroom, which is located in Tokyo’s central Omotesando area, to combine the aesthetics of Denmark and Japan.
“Our vision was for the space to feel more like a design gallery than a conventional showroom: simple, understated and sensory,” Fredericia’s head of design Maria Bruun told Dezeen.
“The aim was to create a Scandinavian, or more specifically Danish, design environment in the heart of Tokyo that celebrates tactility, craftsmanship and material honesty.”
Flooat’s interior design also aimed to create a space where Fredericia’s furniture, which includes design classics by Danish architects such as Hans J Wegner, would take centre stage.
“The concept was to create a serene backdrop through exposed concrete, allowing the warmth and intricate detailing of Danish furniture to stand out,” Flooat interior designer Yumika Yoshida told Dezeen.
“The space functions as a quiet, plain canvas that highlights the furniture while embracing subtle industrial textures and traces of craftsmanship.”
The studio also wanted the showroom to feel like a home, and referenced specific aspects of Japanese residential interiors to give it a light, clean feel.
“Special attention was given to creating an atmosphere that resonates with the spatial sensibilities of Japanese homes – valuing emptiness, subtle textures, and the beauty of restraint,” Yoshida said.
The concrete building where the showroom is located has an industrial feel, which also informed the interior.
“The studio sits within a building with a distinctly industrial character, a composition of steel, glass and concrete that gives it a slightly brutalist edge,” Bruun said.
“It opens directly onto the street on a corner site, which means the space feels very connected to the urban flow.”
Inside, colours were kept neutral, with greige walls and floors contrasting against the natural wood that much of the brand’s furniture is made of.
“By bridging the shared spirit between Nordic and Japanese aesthetics, the space invites visitors to naturally envision how these pieces might inhabit their own lives,” Yoshida said.
Fredericia and Flooat added a terrazzo floor and applied the wall paint by hand to leave “subtle marks of craftsmanship”.
“The palette evolved naturally from the materials and light in the space,” Bruun explained. “We wanted the atmosphere to feel calm, bright and tactile, so we worked with soft, warm whites and gentle neutrals that complement the terrazzo floor,” she continued.
“Our goal was to create a subtle, gallery-like backdrop that allows the furniture and materials to speak for themselves. It’s quiet but rich in texture when you experience it in person.”
Many of Fredericia’s designers were inspired by Japan, Bruun said, and she believes the brand’s aesthetic will be a good match for the Japanese market.
“Both Danish and Japanese cultures share a deep respect for integrity, craftsmanship, and simplicity,” Bruun said.
“Many of Fredericia’s designers, from classic figures like Børge Mogensen, Wegner, and Nanna Ditzel to contemporary talents such as Jasper Morrison, Barber Osgerby and Cecilie Manz, have drawn inspiration from Japanese architecture and aesthetics, ” she added.
Fredericia’s Tokyo showroom launch follows on the heels of fellow Danish brand Frama’s opening of its first international store in Tokyo.
The shared touchpoints between European and Japanese design were also explored by Norm Architects and Keiji Ashizawa Design when creating the minimalist Trunk Hotel in Tokyo.
The photography is courtesy of Fredericia.
