ikoi

A cafe located in front of Maebashi Hachiman Shrine in Gunma Prefecture. The plan was to take over a coffee shop that had been a beloved local institution for 40 years and transform it into a café focused on breakfast service.
Without making major changes to the floor plan, we sought to preserve the existing spatial framework while creating a new chapter in the space’s history through the use of updated materials.
We carefully dismantled the original solid-wood counter, planed down its surface, and reused it. By connecting it to a tiled cash register counter near the entrance, we designed a symbolic piece of furniture that serves as the shop’s new face. The dining tables also retain their original legs from that era, paired with new tabletops. Rather than simply nostalgically evoking the past, the design aims to create a space that connects the town’s memories to the future through the careful processing and combination of materials.