Aesop Nagoya Sakae

Feat of clay

In a city of perpetual churning renewal, Aesop Nagoya Sakae pays homage to the soil from which all life originates, and to which it ultimately returns. As in the earliest forms of human architecture, rich glutinous earth yields a raw palette of colours and textures: the design borrows from the abundant wealth of nature and ventures to give it new form.

Here, designers CASE-REAL give prominence is given to one singular material, Mino clay—sourced 50km to the north, from a region famed for this loamy substance and the ceramics it has yielded for over 1300 years. The clay has been applied as expressive plastering to the walls, and as a dye where more durability was required—as on the wood panelling, the ample demonstration basin unit, and the shelves. Rows of amber bottles offer quiet, tone-on-tone contrast, while darker hues behind the counter and in the carpet cultivate additional depth.