A small, quiet, semi-basement room in a back street in Harajuku/Jingumae Tokyo. Concept retail store for sneakers, herbal teas, perfumes and other products.

A seven-metre long mirrored 'rectangle' on top of two stone blocks penetrates and protrudes from the interior to the exterior.

The situation blurs the boundary between interior and exterior, extending the area from the narrow interior to the street and the surrounding residential area.

Like the approach to create a garden landscape, the contrast between stillness and motion, natural and artificial objects, gives a sense of tension to the public space.

“Ura” means “backside,oposite,behind,reverse" in Japanese. Concept shop by fashion designer "Mihara Yasuhiro" dealing with products that take into account environmental and social responsibility from a multifaceted perspective, but instead of a direct gentle nature theme, they wanted a space and contrast that would make the products stand out and would betray his previous image.

Due to the extremely low ceiling height and narrow interior, clients wanted the space to feel larger, so mirrored surfaces and full-length LED monitors amplify the depth and allow the space to continue outdoors.

The large single panel of glass at the shop front is a detail that weakens its presence and emphasises the floating sense of a mirrored 'rectangle' that juts out from the interior.

The mirrored 'rectangle' is anchored to the upper surface of the stone with anchor bolts and the cantilevered end faces are seal-glued to the glass surface. The detailing is such that it looks as if it continues inside and out, with the glass in between.

Like conceptual art in a public space, the irrational volume without a specific function and unnecessary margins leave flexibility and possibilities for diversion in an experimental shop with no fixed product.

The project has moved away from commercial interior design theory and is conscious of the fact that it is creating part of an external public space.

Rather than the quirkiness and design of commercial interiors, the project attempts to move away from the category of interior design and think more like exterior public design. In a situation of repeated refurbishments and scrap-and-build as business conditions change, the project attempted to create a shop that would last for a long time, not with a specific purpose specification, but by leaving a margin for expansion and use outside of its intended purpose.

In order to avoid the strong influence of commercial elements in a residential area, the project attempts to leave a quiet but strong impact by contrasting material discomfort, illusion and gravity.
Even for the elderly and children, who are not expected to shop, the space throws up curiosity and playfulness, just like public art, without them having to enter the shop.