Why this furniture store near Nakameguro Station has stolen our hearts this month…

1. We Shot Our “Love Issue” Cover There

It was a chilly January morning, only one week into the new decade, when the TW team converged at Garret Interior in Kamimeguro to bring to life this issue’s fantastical cover. The talented Allan Abani photographed identical twins Ami and Aya Suzuki who looked suitably out of this world as they draped across each other on a leather couch in shape-shifting dresses and futuristic heels.

2. We Want to Live There

So fond are we of every single piece of furniture in this store that we’re ready to give up our 2LDK to move in as soon as owner Kenichiro Uchida hands us the keys. Uchida is a collector of vintage items and antiques from 1950s America, so many of the pieces in the store – including the reproduced products – have a retro appeal. These days he also designs original furniture and is most often inspired by mid-century modern style (he cites George Nelson as one designer he particularly admires).

3. Okay, We Can’t Live There, But We Can At Least Afford to Shop There (Occasionally)

Although all of Uchida’s furniture is high quality and most items are made in Japan with materials and fabrics sourced from Italy and Germany, the pieces on offer are relatively affordable. That ball chair on our cover? You can snap that up for around ¥190,000. If that’s still too steep, consider a dining room chair for between ¥10,000 and ¥30,000, or a stylish side table for around ¥19,000.

4. We’re Counting Pink Flamingos Instead of Sheep

Before our cover shoot at Garret Interior was ever even an inkling of an idea, we had strolled past the store on several occasions, peering longingly through the large front windows (the store is only open to the public on weekends from 1pm to 6pm) at a statue of a flamingo. And just when we thought we were the only ones with fanciful ambitions of owning a bright pink bird, Abani took one look and promptly cast her (or him?) in a supporting role for our shoot. Spot the curve of the bird’s neck in one of the photos. It’s the stuff of dreams.

More information at garret88.com

AMIAYA photos by Allan Abani
Store photos by Laurence Bongrain