Takumi Ota

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Polished Concrete Floors: 25 Projects that Combine Aesthetics, Durability, and Ease of Execution

In addition to their aesthetic appeal, the use of raw materials can save resources by bypassing the use of additional coatings and processes. This type of solution was most commonly used in utility buildings, such as infrastructure, factories, and warehouses. Exposed concrete floors, for example, were primarily found in industrial spaces, parking lots, and gas stations. However, they are increasingly being used in structures of different programs due to their appearance, durability, resistance, and vast possibilities for finishes. But what are the main factors to be aware of when using a concrete floor for a project?

Polished Concrete Floors: 25 Projects that Combine Aesthetics, Durability, and Ease of Execution - More Images+ 24

Kamigori Nursery School / Katsuhiro Miyamoto & Associates

Kamigori Nursery School / Katsuhiro Miyamoto & Associates - More Images+ 13

Komame Commons Community Center / Katsuhiro Miyamoto & Associates

Komame Commons Community Center / Katsuhiro Miyamoto & Associates - More Images+ 15

Japanese Beauty Salon Standards: 20 Projects that Blend Form with Function

More than ever; today a trip to a hair or beauty salon has become a much-needed escape time. It promises an ultimately uplifting and relaxing experience with an aesthetically pleasing result. However, this affair, like many others, depends on a catered physical setting; a space that’s efficient design can make or break one’s leisurely time. Many spatial considerations have to be taken while setting up a successful and functional beauty shop, and there are no better examples to consider than the quaint Japanese beauty salons. 

Japanese Beauty Salon Standards: 20 Projects that Blend Form with Function - More Images+ 18

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Beans and Beams: 17 Projects that Explore the Design Elements of Coffee Shops

Coffee shops have always been popular gathering spaces among coffee lovers, but with the rise of remote working, especially post-pandemic, they have become a hotspot for remote workers and students as well. One of the many reasons why they are such a popular hangout spot, other than the fact that they serve one of the most globally-adored drinks, is because of their well-designed interior spaces that promote comfort, relaxation, and productivity simultaneously. After all, it's always been said that architects and coffee go hand in hand. In this interior focus, we explore how different design elements shape the user experience of a coffee shop, and look at how architects have employed them through 17 examples.

Beans and Beams: 17 Projects that Explore the Design Elements of Coffee Shops  - More Images+ 17

Sumu Fumu Terrace / nendo

Sumu Fumu Terrace / nendo - More Images+ 22

  • Architects: nendo
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2022
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Structures, Finishing and Frames: All the Ways to Use Timber in a Work

One of the first elements used by humans to build shelters, wood is a versatile material that, along with technological advances, remains a protagonist in the construction industry, being used in different ways and moments in a work.

Structures, Finishing and Frames: All the Ways to Use Timber in a Work - More Images+ 4

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Small Cafe Designs: 30 Aspirational Examples in Plan & Section

Small Cafe Designs: 30 Aspirational Examples in Plan & Section - Imagen 68 de 4Small Cafe Designs: 30 Aspirational Examples in Plan & Section - Imagen 70 de 4Small Cafe Designs: 30 Aspirational Examples in Plan & Section - Imagen 72 de 4Small Cafe Designs: 30 Aspirational Examples in Plan & Section - Imagen 49 de 4Small Cafe Designs: 30 Aspirational Examples in Plan & Section - More Images+ 84

The interior design of a coffee shop can make-or-break an establishment. With an inviting design, you can transform drinking a simple cup of coffee into a wonderful experience. However, when you only have a few square meters and various machines and properties to distribute, finding an efficient configuration is not easy.

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Designing With (And For) Flowers: Beauty and Sensitivity in 7 Flower Shop Projects

From celebrations of important conquests to expressions of wishes for someone who is sick to get better, the act of gifting someone (or oneself) with flowers is present at different stages of our lives and can carry numerous meanings. This kind of ritual materializes the expression of a feeling and, in many cultures, it is a delicate and sensitive choice, which usually takes into account the selection of specific species for each event.

For this reason, flower shops and stores specializing in flower arrangements are often places where the diversity of species is arranged in order to make it possible to choose the right arrangement or bouquet of flowers. In this sense, many florists take advantage of spatial organizations and design elements that seek to enhance the natural beauty of flowers. Some examples of this strategy are the use of more neutral tones on the surfaces, in contrast to the colors of the different species, and the use of innovative displays in dialogue with the arrangements.

Designing With (And For) Flowers: Beauty and Sensitivity in 7 Flower Shop Projects - More Images+ 10

How to Divide Spaces Without Traditional Solid Partitions

Functionality, good ventilation, comfortable lighting, and access to views are some of the important required characteristics that make for human comfort in inhabited or occupied spaces. Nonetheless, those elements are becoming harder to achieve within smaller city dwellings. Architects and individuals, therefore, turn towards design solutions to create more agreeable and personalized settings.

An initial solution to upscale and widen spaces is to reduce the amount of standard solid partitions or walls and replace them with alternative means of spatial separation. 

How to Divide Spaces Without Traditional Solid Partitions - More Images+ 12

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Spaces to Relax: Spas, Saunas, Baths and Pools

Big cities and the troubled routine of urban life increasingly reveal the need for moments of relaxation aimed at physical and mental health. This concern has become more evident after the long quarantine periods of the Covid-19 pandemic, when disconnecting from routine became even more difficult. Thus, in recent years, more and more people have been looking for activities and places that provide this rest.

Spaces to Relax: Spas, Saunas, Baths and Pools - More Images+ 17

The Rise of the Design Thinking Movement and its Relation to Architecture

'Innovation' and 'design thinking' could possibly be two of the most extensively-used phrases both online and offline during the past decade. To respond to the global need of "changing the status quo", established companies, start-ups, and even universities have used this framework to generate novel ways of solving problems and create new products, taking into account their desirability, feasibility, and viability. And with that, a new archetype was conceived: the design thinker, someone who has the creative toolkit to generate something disruptive. So what is the meaning behind design thinking and what is its relationship with architecture?

The Rise of the Design Thinking Movement and its Relation to Architecture  - More Images+ 1

TOMORE zero Co-working Space / SIDES CORE

 TOMORE zero Co-working Space / SIDES CORE - More Images+ 17

  • Architects: SIDES CORE
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  151 m²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2021
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Filaments inc., betchu-kaguseisakusho

Lula Hair Salon / YYA / Yusuke Yoshino Architects

Lula Hair Salon / YYA / Yusuke Yoshino Architects - More Images+ 14

Laughter Hair Salon / SIDES CORE

Laughter Hair Salon / SIDES CORE - More Images+ 22

  • Architects: SIDES CORE
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  89 m²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2021
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Daiko
  • Professionals: THE, DAIKO, SIDES CORE

Escenario SHIROKANE Building / Ryuichi Sasaki / Sasaki Architecture + Rieko Okumura / YTRO DESIGN INSTITUTE

Escenario SHIROKANE Building  / Ryuichi Sasaki / Sasaki Architecture + Rieko Okumura / YTRO DESIGN INSTITUTE - More Images+ 37

Blue Bottle Coffee Kanda Manseibashi Cafe / Schemata Architects

Blue Bottle Coffee Kanda Manseibashi Cafe / Schemata Architects - More Images+ 5

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Chiyoda City, Japan
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  24 m²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2018
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Bootleg, HOSHIZAKI
  • Professionals: Modulex, TANK, WHITELIGHT.Ltd

Share Salon JAM / kfuna

Share Salon JAM / kfuna - More Images+ 16

  • Architects: kfuna
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  99 m²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2020
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  BEAUTY GARAGE, TAKARA BELMONT
  • Professionals: kfuna company limited