Charles & Keith has introduced a concept store in Kyoto in collaboration with David Chipperfield Architects Milan, ahead of its Tokyo flagship launch in the first quarter of this year. 

Located in the city’s shopping belt Shijo-dori, the duplex store has a facade composed of panels sprayed with lime-based plaster. Contrasting with the roughness of the walls, the store’s floors feature semi-polished reconstructed stone. 

“The design intent of the project was to form a space with sculptural qualities that do not overwhelm but rather embrace and enhance the brand’s products, defining a sober and elegant environment where the furniture shares a symbiosis with the architecture,” said Giuseppe Sirica, associate director at David Chipperfield Architects Milan.

The display tables in translucent carmine-red and emerald-green resins create an ornamental effect that is further enhanced by rounded sofas in a rich burgundy fabric. 

While the store’s lower facade acts as a decorative filter between its interior and exterior, the upper facade features a rough Japanese plaster finish, highlighting the authenticity of the existing building. 

Further reading, Charles & Keith opens first flagship store in South Korea