Since its inception in 1991, the expertise of hair salon LIM in Osaka – by the way, the name is short for Less Is More – quickly became sought after, and the company eventually expanded, opening more hair and beauty salons the home city, Tokyo, Shanghai, Taipei, Singapore, and at one time, there was even an outpost in London. Very recently, LIM revealed the revamped premises of one if its many salons in Osaka. Situated in the downtown area of Shinsaibashi, the venue occupies a spacious 563 sqm. (6,060 sq.ft.) space on the second floor of a modern mid-rise office building, it’s home to one of the LIM hair salons in the city, but also to affiliated salon loji. The interior design, created by architect Jo Nagasaka of Schemata, a practice based in Tokyo, is inspired by the company name and iconic Mies Van der Rohe adage. Combined with the fact that the renewal had to be executed with a limited budget, the project perfectly matched Nagasaka’s preference of a pared down aesthetic. Readymade steel racks and unichrome plates have been used to create all fixtures, including all shelving. Mirrors are obviously omnipresent and are either framed in service stations or in the case of loji, situated at the far end, suspended in rails and moveable, allowing a flexible configuration. Here, in contrast, the setting is open and without partitions, and as such very compatible with the much younger and trend-conscious demographic being served here. The generous dimensions allow to stage indoor events and connect with this highly savvy customer base.