MOMOM is a new shop and restaurant which flows in the interior with its curvaceous energetic patterns -mixed with the colours of milk and forest surrounding the farm on which milk cows are raised. Designed by Moriyuki Ochiai Architects, the interior of the shop completed in 2015 and presents a glamorous, natural and toy-like interior as if it was threw from a house-game. MOMOM store includes the company's own dairy farm, featuring products, such as dairy products, sweets and bread, made using fresh milk as the main ingredient.

The client asked the studio to provide a space to attractively display the products by evoking the imagery associated with the farmstead and milk, which is a key ingredient of their dairy products. Moriyuki Ochiai Architects envisioned a space brimming with the lively vital energy of fresh milk and the forest surrounding the farm on which milk cows are raised.

Inspired by the loving care with which each product on sale is crafted, the designers proposed a design bearing the hallmark of handcrafted work using a special paint on the walls and fixtures to impart abundant expressivity to the store. By drawing energetic patterns blending earthen and milky tones on the store walls and applying a color gradation produced by the resonance between wood and milk on the fixtures, the studio sought to give their design the dynamic chaotic beauty and the vibrant force of nature.

Tower-shaped fixtures (the milk-tree tower) are asymmetrically distributed in two areas found at the center and right side of the store. Moreover, their shape is inspired by the energy of the milk and forest , while their palette offers a contrast between green and white. 

As the plain and rough texture of the green part rises vertically from the bottom, shelves shaped like splashes of glossy white milk spring from the middle part before culminating in a lighting system molded like a fountain of overflowing milk to produce a form expressing the vitality of nature. Through the application of three different tones of green, each tower fixture creates different atmospheres, which enhances the visitors' enjoyment as they stroll through the interior of the shop.

Flanking the three towers are shelves with wavy edges that provide a warm and soft atmosphere, gently enfolding the persons facing them. Using a color finish that highlights the texture of wood, designers applied a white gradation that progresses towards the edge of the shelves in order to produce a beautiful milky ripple effect. 

Interestingly, the part of the shelves that is closer to the fingers handling the products appear to depict soft, gentle, organic wavy contours, which are intended to obtain a lovable design that customers want to touch, while fostering a feeling of intimacy between them and the products on display. 

Also found on the floor are two tables presenting a green to white gradation and suggesting the shape of an egg, from which emanates the combined vitality of the milk and forest.

The ceiling features long pieces of timber painted in dark and light green crossing with short pieces of plain wood, thus creating a deeply intricate canopy of branches and leaves that confer the warmth of wood and a light rhythm to the whole space. Furthermore, the menu plate echoes the organic shapes found in other fixtures, which evoke gorgeous glittering ripples made from fresh milk.

These features contribute to send out a strong image as a store seeking to make high quality products while lending the space the dynamism of fresh milk and the natural setting of the farmstead serving as a backdrop for said products.

Project Facts

Project name: MOMOM Store

Architect: Moriyuki Ochiai Architects

Category: Shop and restaurant

Location: Japan

Date: 2015

Design team: Moriyuki Ochiai, Rosann Ling, Wakana Sujishi, Marina Masuda

Construction: Aslego

All images courtesy of Moriyuki Ochiai Architects

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