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Day-to-day aesthetic experience, crystallized inside a small house in Tokyo

ARTS & SCIENCE Daikanyama

日本美學選物品牌ARTS & SCIENCE創辦人Sonya Park,於2003年春季,選址東京代官山一條小巷內開設第一間ARTS & SCIENCE的門店,店內嵬集了不少她的愛好,亦希望把美好的事物推選給客人,店舖裝潢像歐洲的古董店,展示了一系列Sonya的衣物收藏,每件物品都吸引了目光,讓人駐足欣賞。

In the spring of 2003, Sonya Park, the founder of ARTS & SCIENCE, a Japanese aesthetic product brand, launched their first ARTS & SCIENCE store on a narrow alleyway in Daikanyama in Tokyo. The store features a large collection of her favorite products in the hopes of recommending wonderful items to her customers. The interior decoration resembles that of antique shops in Europe, and on display are a series of clothing items of Sonya, each of which is so eye-catching that one cannot help but halt their steps to admire them. 

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直到2018年,ARTS & SCIENCE再選址代官山開設新店,這時已經在東京及京都開設了不少概念店,而這次店舖落戶在同一社區,但不再只是一所小店。店舖改建自一整幢建於1978年的民居,這概念與品牌想要傳遞生活美好的意念更是同出一轍的。

In 2018, ARTS & SCIENCE launched their new store again in Daikanyama.. By then, they have already set up many concept stores in Tokyo and Kyoto. Despite their being in the same area, this time around, the store is no longer in a small scale. The store has been renovated from a residential house built in 1978. This concept is in line with the brand’s ideas to promote the idea of a wonderful life.

我們到訪時是傍晚時分,本來已是相當低調的外觀,加上店舖外圍沒有任何的櫥窗,只有一盞燈照向入口處,寫上「ARTS & SCIENCE」的品牌標誌,就如日本家家戶戶的門牌一樣,它整體的感覺就是一個「家」的形象。

It was in the early evening when we visited. Its exterior, already considerably low-key in itself, is combined with an absence of any display windows, with only a lamp lighting up the entrance, where the brand logo of ARTS & SCIENCE is printed. It resembles the door plate of any ordinary households in Japan. The overall feeling is that of a “home.”

踏進店內首先是像「客廳」般的位置,以往屋內的橫樑仍舊保留著,即使改建成店舖,依然予人舒適放鬆的氣氛,有一種在家的溫暖感。代官山這間新店以「Home & Basic」為主題,陳列櫃內的選物都是以個人護理,或是感覺比較貼身、在家使用的為主。除了銀包、皮具產品、毛巾及與本地製造商共同開發的護膚品等自家的日用品外,更有值得推介的國內外產品,例如日本職人Ifuji的手工收納木盒、瑞典手工品牌Iris Hantverk的掃刷及Aesop的護理產品等等。到訪時,剛好展出了父親節的選物,當中有一款永不過時的黑色Swatch手錶,平常色彩繽紛的Swatch,來到這裡一下子就變得平靜穩重。

The entrance leads first to a space resembling a living room. The original beams in the house are still intact. Despite being renovated as a store, it still radiates a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere reminiscent of a warm home. The theme of this new store in Daikanyama is “Home & Basic”, with display cabinets featuring mainly personal care products or those for daily or household usage. Apart from wallets, leather products, towels, as well as their own daily commodities such as skin care products co-developed with local manufacturers, available also are recommended products at home and abroad, such as Japanese artisan wooden storage boxes, brushes by Iris Hantverk, a Sweden artisan brand, as well as Aesop’s body care products, among others. Our visit coincided with the display of selected items for Father’s Day, including a black Swatch watch which never goes out of style. Being modest and low-key, it stands in stark contrast to the regular colorful Swatch watches.

「客廳」的轉角處有一座火爐,旁邊擺放了一些很鬆軟的抱枕,不少陪伴在旁購物的同伴,都能舒適地坐下來靜靜等待,感受一下屋內的氛圍。火爐旁就是試身室的位置,這邊的衣架都掛著ARTS & SCIENCE著名的睡衣及內衣產品,架上亦隨意地掛了幾個手提袋及毛巾,驟眼看很像一個家裡更衣的小角落。走上二樓,便是ARTS & SCIENCE從惠比壽書店「POST 」的選書。店舖的陳列,以至客人在店的體驗,讓人能感受到ARTS & SCIENCE的細心,以及對客人從外在到內在的照顧。這是因為Sonya相信藉著精心選購的日用品,能使人們對生活的美有新的體會。

Around the corner of the “living room” stands a fireplace, beside which some fluffy cushions are placed. Many of those accompanying others to shop here can sit comfortably to wait while savoring the indoor atmosphere. Beside the fireplace is the fitting room, where well-known pajamas and undergarments by ARTS & SCIENCE can be found on hangers, alongside a few randomly placed handbags and towels. At first glance, it looks just like a tiny corner for changing clothes at home. Upstairs on the second floor, one can find ARTS & SCIENCE’s selection of books from POST, a bookstore in Ebisu. From its lineup to in-store shopping experience, it is apparent that ARTS & SCIENCE is detail-minded, and cares about customers’ all-rounded needs. It is because Sonya believes that carefully chosen daily commodities can serve to let people have a new understanding of the beauty of life.

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