Japanese studio Atelier Write has transformed a warehouse in Tokyo into a hair salon, suspending mirrors, shelves and curtains from a series of industrial rails that allow the entire space to be reconfigured.
Named Unravel, the salon is located in Tokyo’s eastern Kiyosumi Shirakawa district, where numerous other warehouses have previously been converted into cafes and offices.
Tasked with creating a space that could also host seminars and retail pop-ups, Atelier Write leaned into the industrial nature of the building, complementing its steel frame with hanging metal rails that allow furniture and fittings to be reconfigured.
Atelier Write has converted a warehouse in Tokyo
“By suspending mirrors and shelves from ceiling-mounted rails, we created a system that allows the space to transform dynamically in response to different activities,” studio founder Takuya Sakamoto told Dezeen.
“As the space changes and accommodates a range of activities, we hope it will encourage a reciprocal relationship between the salon and the city, beyond a conventional salon.”
Three large hanging mirrors, which integrate galvanised steel worktops with plug sockets, can be pulled into the centre of the interior to define the central salon area, or pushed to the outer edges when a more open space is required.
It has been converted into a hair salon named Unravel
To soften the predominantly metal palette, the framework of the warehouse was painted a pastel shade of green.
This was complemented by full-height curtains in pastel pink-toned mesh fabric, which can be used to close off the VIP and spa areas.
The salon’s other pieces of furniture, including green steel shelving and low, cubic tables made from timber, were designed to be industrial in character and easily movable.
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“Materials were selected in response to the existing warehouse’s character,” Sakamoto told Dezeen.
“Industrial steel racks are adapted for the shampoo and reception areas, blending into the existing structure,” he added. “The suspended mirrors and shelves are finished in electro-galvanised steel to maintain a neutral appearance while standing out within the space.”
Hanging metal rails allow the interior to be reconfigured
The large shutter opening of the warehouse was retained and filled with full-height panes of glass, sheltered by a corrugated metal canopy above.
A green-painted steel staircase leads to a studio space on the warehouse’s first floor, the surfaces of which have been left in their raw, unfinished state.
The rails incorporate mirrors
Sakamoto founded Atelier Write in Tokyo in 2019, having previously worked at Nihon Sekkei and Schemata Architects.
Nearby, another of Kiyosumi Shirakawa’s former warehouses was previously transformed into a cafe by local studio Fourteen Stones Design, which used timber, granite and limestone to create warm interiors.
The photography is by Kenta Hasegawa.
Project credits:
Architect: Takuya Sakamoto/Atelier Write
Management: Yoshihiro Ueki/Plant
Construction: Shingo Oshima, Aohiko Higuchi/Tank
Signage: Hiyori Yamaguchi
Collaborators: Endo Lighting, Whitelight, Kvadrat