Gig Antic By N Maeda Atelier

It’s increasingly difficult to buy a proper home in the city these days with rising properties prices and a general lack of available property. However, if you are lucky to come across a lot with a nice location and a nice price but has a small area, the Gig Antic might be the perfect model home for you.

WIth just an area of 52.06 square meters, the Gig Antic a 2-floor residential structure located in Yokohama, Japan and is designed by the architectural team of N Maeda Atelier.

Shot from the front

The 2nd floor

The 1st floor with the bathroom

While the design might not be for everybody, I feel that there are many elements here that was borrowed from the condominium concept that can be utilized in designing a compact home. The 2nd floor looks like a typical loft for a condo which with proper mirror placement and use of space helps in making the small space look bigger than it actually is. I’m not too much a fan of the bathroom located on the 1st floor as I feel they still could have used the space behind the kitchen to accommodate a small bathroom and perhaps make the 1st floor another living room space or another extra room or even make it the master bedroom.

The furnished 2nd floor

View from the top

I was trying to figure out where the master bedroom was placed for the home and I reckon it’s behind the working area on the upper part of the loft. If there was still space for a bedroom behind the working area, I don’t see why there can’t be a space for the bathroom behind the kitchen, which is the area below the master bedroom.

Aside from that minor flaw, I really, really love this design. It’s clean, spacious and has lots of light coming in. The overall design might have to be changed for the Manila environment, it might need a little more space around the lot for walls, parking space and a gate. I’m not architect but I guess around 80 square meters should be sufficient enough for those additional details and at 80 square meters, it should be still quite affordable for a 1st time home owner.

KAWS ONE

Finally! I have gotten hold of the Kaws One book. Originally published on September 2001 by Little More in Japan, the book contains artwork by Kaws that he did for his show at the Parco Gallery in Tokyo from March to April 2001. Among the notable work he did for the show were his take on The Simpsons aptly named Kimpsons, some of his early work on the ads posted in OOH (out-of-home advertisements) ad spaces such as bus stops as well as his prominent “collaboration” with Kate Moss.

Kit Kat In Japan: The Lucky Charm

We are all familiar with the tag line of Nestle’s Kit Kat asking us to “take a break, have a Kit Kat.”, but in Japan, Kit Kat is on a whole other level. Boasting of more than 40 different flavors, many of them exclusive to Japan. From the fruity ones such as Apple or Melon to the sophisticated ones such as Orange & Brandy. And how about absurdly weird flavors such as Soy Sauce or Pumpkin?

After years of sluggish performance in the Japanese market, the Nestle Confectionery team in Japan turned it around a few years back. How? Well, in Japan, when you read Kit Kat it sounds like “Kitto Katsu” which just happens to be the same way you say ‘to definitely win’. Since that time many students as well as their parents regarded Kit Kats as a good luck charm, especially during examination periods.  It has become a part of the educational system and parents also frequently ‘gift’ their children with Kit Kat before a big exam. Whether this is the work of the marketing geniuses of Nestle or just pure linguistic luck that the Swiss MNC chanced upon, we can only guess the real reason behind this phenomenon.

Now, will Nestle Philippines ever bring these in? Hmmmm…*

*hint, hint Nestle friends

Below are some more of the interesting flavors that I found:

Weird batch: Pumpkin, Soy Sauce & Kinako/Mochi

Fruity batch: Cherry, Melon & Peach

Exotic and unknown batch: Wine & Exotic Hokkaido (I have no idea what this tastes like)

Thanks to Japan Marketing News, TummyRumbles, The Kit Kat Palace & Mike’s Blender for the pics and some of the info.

The Twin-Bricks House

In continuing my interest in modern Japanese architecture and design. I would like the present the following design by Atelier Tekuto.

This is the Twin-Bricks House located in Saitama, Japan. I like how it’s like two different spaces yet it blends seamlessly together. Another plus for me has been the use of natural light and wide spaces. I really like to have a place to live and work at that has tons of natural lighting. I guess it feels more relaxing and inspiring that way.

Found this through Jeansnow and Dezeen. Thanks!

Kaws Vs. PIPO!

I’ve always been a big Kaws fan, although I couldn’t afford the vinyl toys he makes with Medicom, I recently had a chance to purchase a book he released in a small show he did in Japan a few years back.

Here is his latest work, inspired by Pipo, the mascot of the Japanese police.  Spot the difference.

The Original

The Kaws Version

Wonderwall Inc.

Today I want to share another design company. This time we are focusing on interior design. I would like to introduce to everybody, Wonderwall Inc.

Wonderwall Inc. is spearheaded by Masamichi Katayama. It’s the same company that’s responsible for the A Bathing Ape retail store Busy Work Shop in Japan, London, New York and Hong Kong. In fact, Nigo and Bape was one of their first customers and some could say, their claim to fame.

They have since then gone on to design various retail stores as well as restaurants. From APC to the Tokyo Curry House, Wonderwall Inc’s design concepts is all about breaking barriers while still taking in consideration everything that is important in any store. The Japanese are known for their focus on detail, it’s the same ideals for Wonderwall. From the type of lighting, materials, proportions as well as the actual experience of the store, all these elements come into play in their designs.

I felt it was only appropriate that the first masterpiece I should present is none other than the atelier of Wonderwall Inc.

Next up is one of the first projects of Wonderwall Inc.. The Busy Work Shop in Harajuku, it was originally built during 1998, but it has been recently renovated.

BUSY WORK SHOP HARAJUKU

For the Bape store, after discussions with Nigo, we decided to create a store that felt like a town within a building with an American diner flair. However, for the top floor, a sense of playfulness was added with a colonial style resort inspired space.

They also worked on the offices of Ogilvy & Mathers in Japan, as well as the retail store for A.P.C. Homme in Daikanyama.

OGILVY & MATHER JAPAN

These offices are located on the 25th floor of a large office building. A great view of the Tokyo landscape is incorporated into a common space connecting each division which can be used as a lounge, with a variety of randomly placed chairs.

A.P.C. HOMME DAIKANYAMA

Creating an impression of a space that had some big changes to the interior without actually making changes was an important factor in this project. The space has been restructured while revering the fact that it was cherished for a long time, with a garden as the entrance, with different rooms and space each with it’s own scenario of the A.P.C. world.

I felt it was only apt to end with another Bape store. This time we have the Bapexclusive store in Aoyama.

BAPEXCLUSIVE AOYAMA

For this project, Katayama wanted a coexistence of two opposing ideas; minimal and maximum. The ground floor is very minimal; a very controlled space made of pure-white grids of tiles. The second floor is a maxim space surrounded by walls of sneakers and floored with carpeting made of 10 colors. For the stairway which links the two floors, a lighting system and mirrors are utilized to change colors and allow the light to spill down to the ground floor. The conveyer belt for the sneakers on the 2nd floor is enclosed in a glass cylinder. The middle of the conveyer belt is open through the ground floor that allows one to view the rotating sneakers from below via the mirrored ceiling.

Store descriptions and pictures were courtesy of the Wonderwall website. You can see more of their designs and some bonus stuff in their website.

Hope you guys enjoyed this feature, I will try to share more cool stuff in the future.

Under Cover Japan

I’ve always liked looking at nice things, whether it’s girls, drawings, pictures, whatever.

Today, I shall share the office/laboratory of Under Cover in Tokyo, Japan. Now, what is Under Cover? Well those who follow Paris fashion shows should know the brand by now, headed by Jun Takashi. Well, no, I don’t follow fashion shows, but I know Jun Takashi because of his streetwear background.

In the early 90’s, Jun or Jonio as he is called, opened a shop named Nowhere in Harajuku. Together with his partner, Nigo, they sold limited and exclusive shirts designed and printed by themselves. And yes, it’s the same Nigo who is now the head of the multi-million A Bathing Ape label.

Without further ado, here are the pictures of the UC office. Designed by Klein Dytham architecture (KNa). Pictures and text also courtesy of KNa.

Undercover Lab is a building, which is undercover. Not only is it tucked away in the back streets of Harajuku but the site is also very deceiving. A 10m long narrow driveway leads to a 12m x 12m site at the rear.

The building houses a studio, press showroom, and office. A 20m long hanger rail to show the entire collection of one season was required. This is housed in a black tube running along the only 20m straight line on the site, which extends out over the entrance driveway. This cantilevered tube extends the building’s influence to the main street in a strong but stealth way.

The tube was made to look as anonymous as possible, almost like a shipping container where you have no idea of its contents. The tube also conjures up images of telescopes etc, which give the building a mysterious feel _ nobody knowing what quite is going on inside. So much so that some people may feel intimidated just walking under the tube if they are unannounced.