Linehouse

Linehouse was commissioned by Canadian lifestyle brand Herschel Supply to develop their retail stores throughout Asia. The Tokyo location is the first flagship for Herschel Supply, located in the trendy streets of Shibuya.
Drawing from Herschel’s roots in Vancouver, Canada, an urban center surrounded by nature, Linehouse took the notion of the urban forest and the kind of dwelling one might find there. In doing so, they reconceptualised the alpine cabin for an urban context, creating a fragmented dwelling.
The façade is lined with angled timber battens, painted on either side in various hues of blue. A shifting horizon of colour is experienced on approaching the store. From one direction the façade appears to be wood in finish, and as one passes by this shifts into a gradient of blue.
At lower level the wood battens are stacked horizontally, cut at an angle to create a void space below, operating as an exterior visual merchandising display box framed by black metal and glass. Pivoting doors are set back into the shopfront, fully opening the façade, drawing the interior out to the street.
The wood battens create a threshold for the storefront, blurring the interior and exterior experience. Passing through the field of timber battens, one enters ‘the clearing’; conceptually referencing the idea of an open expansive space nestled within the forest. The translucent opal stretch ceiling is illuminated, and the walls are lined with hand etched polished stainless steel. The etching dissipates vertically on the panels, allowing for a polished surface at high level, and a blurred finish at low level. These panels operate as a flexible system for display.
Painted wood battens are vertically stacked in the interior, interlocking with the wood ceiling above, allowing for interchangeable bag display. These line the perimeter wall, drawing the exterior treatment into the interior.
A vertical black box is recessed into the wall with a thin black metal structure staircase, allowing one to meander to the second floor where further merchandise is on display. The cashier and accessory table are assembled of brushed stainless steel, with recessed panels of layered blue acrylic.