For discerning power shoppers cruising Tokyo‘s bustling Omotesando dori in search of designer trophies, the MVRDV-designed GYRE shopping mall has been one of the thoroughfare’s many remarkable architectural landmarks, but more importantly, it’s stocked with highly coveted treasures. The building, which boasts a façade mimicking randomly stacked boxes, has been home to a slew of high-end boutiques of both luxury brands and sought-after edgy labels, including Chanel, Visvim, Maison Margiela, Ami and Comme des Garçons. Although the mall may have firmly anchored itself in the Japanese capital’s upper echelon of retail, it’s just as prone to innovative shakeups as most other fashion and lifestyle segments. As a result, GYRE‘s entire fourth floor has seen a recent and drastic redevelopment, becoming GYRE.FOOD. Measuring a spacious 1,000 sqm. (10,764 sq.ft.), it’s a multifaceted concept though up by GYRE executive director and PR honcho Kayako Hirao, chef Soran Nomura and cult bartender Kai Tanaka.
The interior design, created by Paris-based practice Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane Architects, takes cues from soil, and as such, the premises feature walls and floors clad in materials reminiscent of variety of terrains such as a dense forest, a tropical jungle, and ancient city ruins. The chosen aesthetic has also influenced the way the furnishings have been made. For example, all tables have been crafted from gravel with water which has first been mixed, and then hardened and polished. As said, GYRE.FOOD is about different venues rolled into one concept, and each one occupying a different section and setting. The fünklein bar is casual yet stylish, offering cocktails poured from taps. Headed by chef Ryoma Shida, élan is an exclusive French gourmet restaurant offering two different set menus and wine pairing. A tad more casual is EUREKA, the venue’s all-day diner. Set across an open space, its menu features tasty but classic fare without any frills. Last but not least, there’s eatrip soil, the venue’s very own grocery.
GYRE.FOOD
GYRE, 5-10-1 Jingumae, Fourth Floor (Harajuku)
Tokyo 150-0001
fünklein 11am-11.30pm
Telephone: +81 3 68038699
élan 6pm-9pm
Telephone: +81 3 68038670
EUREKA 11am-10pm
Telephone: +81 3 68038699
eatrip soil 11am-8pm
Telephone: +81 3 68038620
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
