Interior design for the relocation of “Gallery COMMON”, an art gallery located in Harajuku, Tokyo. The client was a creative agency that operates multiple art spaces in the Harajuku area, communicating new values and cultures through the works selected from their unique perspective. The innovative part of this project is making this gallery space unique through the simple way of creating the movable walls including some hardware. And reconstruction of the walls maximizes the potential of the new building. Furthermore, color and material finishes maximize the effect. 

For example, This new location is on the basement floor of a steel structure that can be approached directly from an external staircase. Uncommon for a basement, the ceiling height was overwhelmingly high, and because the perimeter of the plot was surrounded by dry areas on all sides, differing from the above-ground floor, this basement environment was filled with soft natural light. This feature was appealing as a project space, yet as a gallery, these many glass surfaces were a hindrance to exhibitions. 

As a result of numerous discussions, we agreed to concentrate the incoming sunlight on one side, the largest dry area, and to block off the rest of the openings as white walls. This made it possible to create a stable light controlled environment while assuring an ideal amount of wall space throughout the space, in addition to creating a bright distinctive space that is partly integrated with the dry area. It designed negative existing situations into a positive environment while enhancing its functionality like a gallery. 

Furthermore, four beams (H-shaped steel) that crossed the existing ceiling were used as part of the exhibition system. We made original adapters to attach to the steel beams, and painted them in the same gray as the existing beams to contrast with the walls. Large movable walls of 25cm thickness are the symbol in this gallery and enable the creation of various exhibition scenes. 

Also, the minimal necessary functions, such as water supply, were planned by the dimensions of this movable wall, enabling the wall to be stored comfortably. The floor was made of stone with a bush hammer finished surface, applied in a grid pattern to function as a scale to determine the position of the movable wall. And the sunlight through the window softer the strong impression of the space, which is due to the floor finish. It is simple but improving functionality as a gallery resulted in the originality and creativity of the project.