MARLMARL Sanjo-Street Kyoto / Atsushi Suzuki / TANSEISHA


© Nacasa & Partners

© Nacasa & Partners

© Nacasa & Partners

© Nacasa & Partners

Text description provided by the architects. Acclaimed for its abstract worldview, MARLMARL is one of the most dynamic brands of original baby clothing in Japan today and is continuing to expand in both domestic and overseas markets. We worked on the interior design for the brand in conjunction with the opening of a new branch in the Sanjo-street district of Kyoto, Japan’s historic capital.


© Nacasa & Partners

© Nacasa & Partners

Kyoto’s Sanjo-street, featuring an attractive urban landscape characterized by a mixture of old and new, is a place where traditional architecture and modern architecture stand side by side. In these surroundings, we had to draw up a plan for the interior of a modern building highlighted by enormous and remarkably eye-catching arches. So, while honoring Kyoto’s historic landscape, we came up with a design concept that would integrate the brand’s abstract worldview with the surrounding cityscape.


© Nacasa & Partners

© Nacasa & Partners

Floor Plan

Floor Plan

© Nacasa & Partners

© Nacasa & Partners

Using the brand’s neutral tones and drawing on the motif provided by the building’s arches, we continued the arches inside the store, keeping the lines as simple as possible in combination with a monotone coloring to integrate the cityscape with the brand’s abstract worldview. The imposing arches of the building and the light arches of the interior serve as complementary expressions, imbuing the space with a bright and airy impression befitting of a baby clothing brand.


© Nacasa & Partners

© Nacasa & Partners