If you’ve been in one Starbucks, you’ve been in them all…. or so I used to think, before I saw this one designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates. Gone are the generic interiors that you find in most of the empire’s coffee shops and instead you’ll find a very cool, and peaceful aesthetic at this location that sits close to the Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine in the Fukuoka Prefecture of Japan.
The shrine is one of the most visited in Japan with over 2 million visitors a year and since the Starbucks is on the path to the shrine, it was important to fit in with the other traditional buildings on the route.
There is a homey feel overall, and with the repetitive use of thin wood sticks, about 2,000 in all, it creates a cohesive, cave-like space that people are drawn to.
The natural wood is woven diagonally and starts on the walls and carries over onto the ceilings and it continues out the facade of the shop.

5 Comments
Anthony on 01.03.2013 at 21:14 PM
I’m going to turn into one of those people who visits countries just to look at particular buildings one day because of design-milk.
Jaime Derringer on 01.04.2013 at 08:44 AM
Ha! There are lots of beautiful man-made places to visit around the world – both old and new.
Frank on 01.04.2013 at 07:46 AM
As a woodworker in the US, it would be nice if you gave credit to the firm / individuals responsible for the intricate woodwork. The architect’s web site did not either – maybe they did it themselves?
Jaime Derringer on 01.04.2013 at 08:45 AM
Agreed. I assume they work with a local company, but it is possible that they do it with their own team because it seems they specialize in intricate wood structures.
Cameron Watt on 01.05.2013 at 14:55 PM
It’s marvelous, but who thought of the poor fellow who has to do the dusting?
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