Maruhiro Flagship Store

01

Image

—01. Concrete-filled ceramic floor.

Words

Maruhiro, producer of the outstanding Hasami ceramics line, recently commissioned designer Yusuke Seki to overhaul their flagship store in Japan's Nagasaki prefecture. The result owes a significant debt to the concept of monohara, the kiln-side pits used for the disposal of imperfect and broken pieces pulled from the fire. Rather than adhering to this traditional practice, 25,000 flawed items were assembled from numerous factories in the area, filled with concrete, and layered to form a jaw-dropping elevated floor. This inventive use of would-be waste creates a striking balance between the locale’s rich history and the company’s preeminent place in contemporary Japanese ceramics.

—Maruhiro
—Yusuke Seki