New Material Research Lab and YUN Architecture recycle a tin roof and ship planks for 45R’s New York outpost

Wabi-sabi

By Kelly Pau
45R

Craft is at the forefront of 45R’s latest store at 89 Crosby Street in New York’s Nolita neighborhood. New Material Research Lab collaborated with YUN Architecture to translate the Japanese clothing brand’s selective use of materials and pigments into a space powered by conscious materiality and Japanese aesthetics.

45r in new york
The store uses shoji screens, cedar wood, and reclaimed wood ship planks (Devon Banks)

The duo focused on making the narrow and small footprint feel open and spacious. The warm and calming Japanese materials and craft contributed to this. The designers evoked the culture’s appreciation for the beauty in impermanence, in other words the concept of wabi-sabi, as well as a sense of craft.

tin roof in store
An old tin roof from Japan was installed inside the store (Devon Banks)

Recycled Japanese stone pavers ground the store in a sense of nature and warmth. The style continues with shoji screens, cedar wood, reclaimed wood ship planks, and shikkui, a traditional Japanese lime plaster, finished with traditional cloth. These make up the base of the interior, with the racks of chestnut wood for clothing on one end, linear display tables at the center, and a check-out counter on the other side, with a tea hearth at the rear.

mud-finished walls
Unique and textured finishes, like mud-finished walls and Japanese lime plaster, provide depth to the smaller space (Devon Banks)

yun architecture design store
Wooden frames run throughout the store, uniting the various materials and enabling a sense of warmth (Devon Banks)

The check-out area is distinguished by more material strategy. An old tin roof from Japan was installed inside the store. The corrugated roof adds rhythm and texture to the space, reified by the use of hand-patinated brass cladding at the back of the store. The metallic finishes lend the elegance of time-worn objects.

tea in store
A tea hearth waits in the rear atop stone (Devon Banks)

It’s rounded out by craft-led natural materials. The front of the store greets guests with a hand-scooped chestnut wood sculpture, while the rear holds a raised niche, or tokonoma, with mud-finished walls.

wood sculpture
A hand-scooped chestnut wood sculpture greets guests at the front of the space (Devon Banks)

In effect, the store’s design brings a small slice of Japan to New York. A considered and layered approach to materiality makes it feel at home within the space while conveying 45R’s attention to craftsmanship and the hand-made.

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