The planned Kyobaum flagship store, with a factory, retail space, and café, lets visitors see the making of Kyoto’s Kyobaum, characterized by the green-and-white of its matcha and soymilk dough. Like how Kyobaum blends Japanese matcha with Western sweets, the interior features a friendly confectionery shop vibe that incorporates Japanese materials like washi, plaster, and art made from tatami and bamboo. Elements that evoke Kyobaum—tree rings and wood, green hues, and circles—on walls, ceilings, noren, and artwork, crafted with Kyoto-sourced materials such as washi, silk, bamboo, and tatami, inspire wonder.

The first-floor retail space has round ceilings and floors that evoke Baumkuchen and displays arranged like islands. While many sweets shops feature high-volume displays, this has a single high-density display for product stock so other areas can be laid out spaciously, like a gallery. This lets an ideal quantity be displayed for a space that makes customers want to buy. Islands feature different products so customers can island hop for a fun shopping experience. The cork fixtures appear as freshly baked confections dusted with powdered sugar. Circular noren throughout partially obstruct views to reveal and conceal products as customers move, heightening the sense of discovery.

The second floor uses green for the Kyobaum factory, white for the tour path, and wood for production process displays, making navigation intuitive. The first floor uses circular elements for the fixtures and noren, whereas on the second floor, larger circular elements, like a white tour path and a green tunnel-like staircase inspired by Kyobaum’s matcha fondant, make you feel like you are stepping inside a Kyobaum. Circular, white, and green motifs, scaled differently on the first and second floors, provide a unique spatial experience.

The interior of the third-floor café is made with similar materials to the factory area, with a central open kitchen to showcase workers finishing confections for a vibrant café area where visitors can both see and taste freshly made sweets. The counter and stools are made with green tiles, while the table seating is enclosed in cozy wood. Changing materials rather than using walls to divide areas creates a sense of spaciousness while letting visitors choose a seating arrangement.

Materials rooted in Kyoto and Japan are used throughout. The first-floor shop features silk made in Kyoto for the noren dyed by artisans using the same matcha powder used in Kyobaum, while the main staircase features washi custom-painted in Kyobaum’s green and white by papermakers. Art throughout the store features Kyobaum-themed pieces, including tatami by Kyoto artisans, bamboo latticework, and bamboo arrangements, blending traditional techniques with modern style. By using traditional materials and crafts from Kyoto and Japan, we aim to help preserve and promote the culture of Japanese craftsmanship amid an artisan shortage.