Schemata Architects designs Le Labo store to reflect Tokyo's urban character

Local studio Schemata Architects has renovated a store in Tokyo for perfumery brand Le Labo, featuring shelves and furniture made from the same wood used to cast the textured concrete walls.

The store in Tokyo's Daikanyama neighbourhood was Le Labo's first location outside of the US, but after 18 years in operation it required a thorough redesign.

Le Labo, Tokyo — Schemata Architects renovated this store in Tokyo for perfumery brand Le Labo

Schemata Architects, which previously transformed a traditional wooden townhouse in Kyoto into a store for the brand, was tasked with developing a design that would complement the urban streetscape.

The store's interior layout was altered to highlight the craft of perfume making, with a fragrance lab moved from the rear to the front so it becomes visible from the street.

Le Labo by Schemata Architects — The studio was tasked with developing a design that complements the urban streetscape

Perfumers at work can be seen through the windows that line the entire elevation, providing an intriguing welcome as customers approach the store.

Based on the client's suggestion, a palette combining industrial and natural materials was chosen to echo the building's reinforced concrete structure, while introducing warmth and character to the space.

Furniture by Schemata Architects — The store has a palette that combines industrial and natural materials

"Le Labo proposed wood and concrete as materials," the architects explained, "suggesting that the city's defining characteristic lies in the blending of opposing forces: intense energy and profound tranquillity."

The building is constructed using two types of reinforced concrete, with the external architectural surfaces displaying a smooth finish, while the more robust structural elements were intended to be hidden behind other materials.

Raw-textured ceiling — The existing ceiling was stripped back to reveal original lighting recesses

Schemata Architects appreciated the textural detail left behind by the wooden formwork and chose to replicate this surface finish throughout the store.

New interventions were created using formwork made from red cedar treated with uzukuri – a traditional woodworking technique that involves rubbing away softer early wood to allow the hard grain to stand out.

In-store laboratory — The store's interior layout was altered to highlight the craft of perfume making

"By pouring concrete into formwork that emphasised the wood grain's uneven texture, we produced precast panels where the grain was transferred onto the surface, which we then employed as walls," the architects pointed out.

Following the construction of the shop's walls, the wooden formwork was repurposed as display shelving and other furniture items that help to create a sense of cohesion between the surfaces.

Concrete interior of Le Labo, Tokyo — Traces of the space's construction create a sense of consistency

"We designed this relationship between formwork wood and concrete – elements reflecting Tokyo – to form a contrast through the grain texture," the project team added.

Elsewhere, the existing ceiling was stripped back to reveal original lighting recesses, along with formwork marks and duct grooves created when the surfaces were originally cast.

Incorporating these traces of the space's construction creates a sense of consistency with the new interventions and responds to Le Labo's call for a design that highlights the process of making.

Schemata Architects was founded by Jo Nagasaka in 1998 and is based in Tokyo's Kitasando district. The multidisciplinary studio works domestically and globally on projects that draw inspiration from everyday objects and existing environments.