RICCA is a bar, located at Kagurazaka. Even now, you can see Japanese traditional atmosphere and alley in this town. I created this design to make everyone feel Japanese aesthetic sense. In Japan, there is cultural event is known as “Hanami”, which means “cherry blossom viewing”. This unique event is happened only in couples of week of early spring. It lies in the fact that the flowers are only in full bloom for a few days.

The real “moment” of hanami is not so much looking at the flowers on the tree but watching with a tinge of sadness as they fall from the tree, flutter in the spring breeze on their short journey to the cold earth below. It’s a beautiful but melancholy reminder that all life must come to an end. The short period in full bloom and the beauty of the flowers are often likened to the fragility of human life. Because of this, it has been said since ancient times that cherry blossoms make people go crazy.

Getting inspired by flowers, I designed this bar. Beauty and coquetry or strength and evanescence of Flowers. The store consists of lounge area and private room. The ceilings of both spaces are covered with deformed flower objects. The objects are made of resin with hologram sheets and cut with a laser.

Guests can see various colors and reflected lights because of the feature of the hologram sheets and they appear to be fluttering flowers. I added half-transparent red color film on the resin objects to create a more bewitching atmosphere in the lounge area. Meanwhile, in the private karaoke room I had the hologram to reflect the lights naturally in order to produce more active feelings.

In the center of the room I hung the hologram objects from the ceiling and put the light from both inside and outside. The light from the outside gets reflected randomly in the room and from inside projects flower-like expression onto the ceiling and the wall. Esthetics for flowers is reinterpreted in various ways in the bar. (Ryohei Kanda / Roito)

Designed by Ryohei Kanda / Roito
Photography by Atsushi Nakamichi / Nacasa and Partners