Right in the heart of the bustling district of Namba in Osaka, the strikingly long and slender building is the shop which offers vegan sweets made purely from plant-based ingredients.

Vegan sweets are not yet widely known in Japan, so we wish our design could become an opportunity to get better understanding of veganism. In order to do so, the façade must express natural and healthy feel in the way people can easily sense. The concept we came up with was “the warmth of the soil,” and decided to apply earthen walls for the facade. However, in order to keep the cost in the budget, we settled on Jolypate (plaster style finish) to create earthen wall texture. The story and the message of vegan sweets are embedded in the soil-like texture of the wall.

To emphasize more on the narrow shape of the existing building, we extended the façade wall up to the rooftop, and we made the corner of the building all rounded to create a space that feels warm and cozy. The plasterers meticulously worked on crafting the gentle curves from the façade to the interior walls and ceilings.

For interior, we also kept the edge rounded and used wall-mounted spotlights to illuminate the arched ceiling. The design hiding those spotlights is mimicking bird nests. The combination of the earthy texture and gentle curves of the arches, illuminated by lighting, as a result, created a pool of a soft glow. The building was transformed into a gentle place, which is truly unexpected in the heart of Namba.