Yokohama's Blue Bottle Coffee Cafe Is a Vibrant Medley of Natural Materials

Nestled in Yokohama’s thriving business district Minatomirai lies an immaculately dressed Blue Bottle Coffee cafe, designed by Keiji Ashizawa Design and Norm Architects.

The cafe is set behind a glass-front and looks out towards a smartly kept public park. Tokyo-based studio Keiji Ashizawa Design decided to echo the site’s environs by livening up the cafe’s interiors with natural materials. “We aimed to create an atmosphere which welcomes locals by using wood, inspired by the park,” notes founder Keiji Ashizawa. The building “provides a feeling of kindness with natural materials set against the industrial-looking landscape.”

The cafe features an open floor plan, hosting a sizable half-moon service bar where drinks are prepared. Pale, cream-colored wooden slats have been imagined as the cafe’s flooring, contrasted by gray stone countertops. Wooden circular tables occupy the cafe alongside oak chairs and paper yarn-wrapped columns. And more nuanced details, like the menu board and suspended ring-shaped lights, also add to the space’s warm ambiance.

Collaborating with Copenhagen-based Norm Architects, minimal seating arrangements — wooden chairs, tall bar stools and dining chairs — have been added to enliven the cafe’s tone and feel. Furthermore, all the furniture was produced by Karimoku, manufacturers known for their artisanal take on contemporary design. “There couldn’t be a better partner to team up with than Karimoku,” notes Frederik Werner, partner at Norm Architects. Yokohama’s Blue Bottle Coffee cafe joins a list of other Japan-based outposts — Tokyo, Kyoto and Kobe.

Scroll through the gallery above for a look at Keiji Ashizawa Design and Norm Architects’ Blue Bottle Coffee afe in Yokohama.

Blue Bottle Coffee Minatomirai
MARK IS Minatomirai
GL Floor, 3-5-1 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku
Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 220-0012
Japan

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