Ichiba

Description

As the newest member of the Japan Centre Group family, Ichiba is reportedly the largest Japanese food hall in Europe at over 1,600 square metres. Now open at Westfield London's newly opened Shepherd's Bush expansion, Ichiba is an evolution of the traditional food hall experience, with freshly prepared street-food, essential kitchen groceries and unique Japanese gifts. Photographer: Steve Joyce

Tiles Used

Ranges used included: Horizon as a wall cladding; wood effect tiles from the Recon range; and wall tiles from the Arcadian range.

Outcome

A collaboration between the Japan Centre Group and the Cool Japan Fund, Ichiba promotes a sense of familiarity by taking cues from the design of the flagship store on Panton Street, with products from Solus once again helping to convey the identity of the brand.

Designed by CADA, Ichiba features “theatrical kitchens” where shoppers can watch cooking demonstrations and workshops, spacious eating areas, and two entrances cleverly allowing guests to flow through the space to access the wider Westfield complex.

Aesthetically, the Ichiba design is bold and contemporary yet timeless, reflecting Japan through subtle environmental elements like chopstick-style lighting.

Finishes from Solus helped to achieve this goal, with chevron shaped tiles from the wood effect Recon range in particular being used to create distinctive zones in space. In addition to floor tiles, Solus also supplied contemporary wall tiles from the Arcadian range and bespoke fabricated composite terrazzo countertops to many of the food stations and till banks.