CASE 02

MINATOMIRAI CAFE

KEIJI ASHIZAWA & NORM ARCHITECTS

THE MINATOMIRAI PROJECT

The Minatomirai Cafe Collection has its native setting in Blue Bottle Coffee Minatomirai Cafe located in the Minatomirai in Yokohama, Japan. Adjacent to the park, the Minatomirai Cafe is designed as a glass-walled open space, with soft and welcoming curves in combination with natural wooden surfaces.

Under the direction of one of brand initiator Keiji Ashizawa as lead architect and multidisciplinary Danish design studio Norm Architects, the tailor-made furniture for the cafe have been realised as second collection of Karimoku Case.

THE MINATOMIRAI PROJECT

The Minatomirai Cafe Collection has its native setting in Blue Bottle Coffee Minatomirai Cafe located in the Minatomirai in Yokohama, Japan. Adjacent to the park, the Minatomirai Cafe is designed as a glass-walled open space, with soft and welcoming curves in combination with natural wooden surfaces.

Under the direction of one of brand initiator Keiji Ashizawa as lead architect and multidisciplinary Danish design studio Norm Architects, the tailor-made furniture for the cafe have been realised as second collection of Karimoku Case.

"It seems to us that there is a certain vibrance when visiting a Blue Bottle Coffee cafe, it combines the industrial and machined with the crafted and residential. Cool and harder surfaces meet the warm and soft - contrasts in balance - elements that we have strived to express in the design.”
NORM ARCHITECTS
"It seems to us that there is a certain vibrance when visiting a Blue Bottle Coffee cafe, it combines the industrial and machined with the crafted and residential. Cool and harder surfaces meet the warm and soft - contrasts in balance - elements that we have strived to express in the design.”
NORM ARCHITECTS
“We have aimed to create an atmosphere which welcomes the local community by mainly using wood, inspired by the park located by the Blue Bottle Coffee Minatomirai. The building which acts as the main character of the park, provides the feeling of kindness of the natural materials in the industrial looking landscape.”
KEIJI ASHIZAWA
“For us there couldn't be a better partner to team up with than Karimoku, as they uphold a unique quality and approach to the manufacturing of wooden furniture - maintaining a focus on the craftsmanship combined with the latest robotics, making sure that their philosophy of “high-tech, high-touch” is truly embedded in each furniture piece leaving the factory.”
NORM ARCHITECTS
“For us there couldn't be a better partner to team up with than Karimoku, as they uphold a unique quality and approach to the manufacturing of wooden furniture - maintaining a focus on the craftsmanship combined with the latest robotics, making sure that their philosophy of “high-tech, high-touch” is truly embedded in each furniture piece leaving the factory.”
NORM ARCHITECTS
“The idea of teaming up with Karimoku, which has been the experts in the Japanese wooden furniture industry since 1940 naturally came to my mind in the process of design and collaborating with Norm Architects just made so much sense, as we both have a mutual respect, admiration and understanding of each other's work.”
KEIJI ASHIZAWA
“The idea of teaming up with Karimoku, which has been the experts in the Japanese wooden furniture industry since 1940 naturally came to my mind in the process of design and collaborating with Norm Architects just made so much sense, as we both have a mutual respect, admiration and understanding of each other's work.”
KEIJI ASHIZAWA

COLLECTION

N-DC03
N-BS01
N-SC01