The Vietnamese owner, who loves Japan, wanted her café to be Japanese in style and elegant. However, I understood that it is the client's request to focus on the spirituality of the Japanese people and the beauty of the spatial expression based on it, rather than the so-called "Japanese style”.
The name of the store "SOSO" is derived from the Japanese word, which means pure, beautiful and delicate. That's why I decided to imagine and assemble a Japanese space that fits the word.
A large oval counter was placed in the center of the compact store, and tables were placed around it. The counter was formed in one piece with cast-in-place concrete. Only the sides are ground out to expose the aggregate, and the edges are separated from the top panel. The bench along the wall, logs with skin integrated with the table are lined up like a grove, and the legs are supported by brass cylinders to give a clean and sharp impression. The ceiling is covered with panels with numerous random holes, and the light leaking through the holes makes the interior look as if it were covered in white snow or full of stars at night, creating a space with different expressions throughout the day.
