Aesop Jiyugaoka

A spatial arrangement and palette inspired by local infrastructure.

Our tenth collaboration with Parisian design firm Ciguë is situated in the Tokyo suburb of Jiyugaoka, whose blend of residential, commercial and pedestrian spaces distinguishes it as a relaxed postcode. Located on the ground floor of a 1960s residential building, the store was stripped to its concrete shell and painted white.

The calm of the neighbourhood has long been punctuated by the rhythmic clatter of carriages passing along two intersecting railway lines, which informed both the store’s spatial arrangement and its palette. Translucent resin shelving lines the walls, an elegant echo of the bullhead tracks.

Upon entry, the eye is drawn to the imposing aggregate countertops. A large central basin with custom tapware, inspired by a communal washing sink found on the building’s rooftop, provides a natural setting for product demonstrations. The material palette is softened by greenery—sourced from wild patches edging the tracks—which spills from planters and curls around sanded aluminium joinery.