Needless to say, the fame of MoMA is global, and the art institute cleverly banks on the appeal through retail. Every design aficionado who’s been to New York City knows about the MoMA Design Store in the premises of the revered museum, but few know about the outposts overseas. Mind you, the MoMA Design Store has branches in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hong Kong, and very recently a new store has opened its doors in Fukuoka. The newest MoMA Design Store occupies a unit on the second floor of One Fukuoka Building, a newly opened 19-storey, mixed-use structure in the heart of the city, housing an abundance of shops, offices, and even a five-star hotel. The interior design, created by acclaimed Tokyo-based architecture and design practice MOMENT Inc., is based on a concept which reinterprets the Japanese architectural idea of Ma—the sense of space, pause, and relationship between elements.

This has resulted in a/ bold diagonal black and light grey division derived from sightlines, which not only adds an intriguing visual tension to the setting, but also serves as a dynamic backdrop for various display units, cabinets and wall-mounted shelving. The material palette includes locally sourced cedar, finished with a polished black treatment, and artisanal Tajimi tiles, both selected to accentuate a distinctly Japanese aesthetic. The retail space also comes with a flexible system that naturally accommodates changes in merchandise and display over time. This continuously evolving approach was inspired by the adaptability found in traditional Japanese architecture. The new MoMA Design Store stocks a tightly curated range of design merchandise, and mind you, part of the revenue supports the museum’s exhibitions and educational programmes. © superfuture