Kyoto cheese tart shop by Yusuke Seki features counter made of Lego

The latest outlet of Japanese cheese tart shop Bake displays its wares on a Lego counter made by designer Yusuke Seki.

Tokyo-based Yusuke Seki designed the Kyoto outlet of the single-item bakery chain, which also recently opened stores featuring a sunset-hued acrylic counter and bespoke aluminium tiles.

The centrepiece of the design is the counter, which is shrouded in a brickwork of monotone Lego.

Seki chose to use the popular toy building bricks as his main material because it “connects” to visitors.

“This architectural fabric serves as the shared language of communication between those whose spoken language may differ,” said Seki. “Its appeal is universal, intuitive, and its attraction felt by nearly every generation”

“It evokes a sense of intimacy, creating a moment that connects people to this space.”

A second, complementary feature of the store is a lattice framework lining the walls on either side of the counter.

This feature employs the bamboo latticework technique known as shitajimado, which is traditionally used on the windows of Japanese teahouses.

Seki has put a contemporary spin on the classic technique, using a pale wood overlaid on partially exposed walls.

“Left partially exposed, these walls allow customers to interact with a new iteration of tradition, while simultaneously encouraging an interaction the older exterior wall cladding,” said Seki.

“The store is thereby given a firm sense of place, reverberating with a reverence for the region.”

The store includes an open kitchen in the back, where the cheese tarts are baked. A shelf on one side of the room holds stacks of Bake‘s bright yellow takeaway boxes.

Seki founded his studio in 2008 and has since worked on a number of shop interiors. Cement and pale wood often feature in his minimal interiors, including one devoted to hand-forged knives and another that sells kimonos.

Photography is by Takumi Ota.

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• Interiors