BAKE Cheese Tart Shop, Ho Chi Minh City

Japanese dessert brand BAKE has expanded into Vietnam with a towering store in Ho Chi Minh City.

The space plays on its narrow, double-height setting with a vertically oriented design by Joe Chikamori. With the shop floor some 40cm above street level, clever solutions were needed to ensure visibility from outside.

A series of steps from the entrance to the cashier gives the impression that shoppers are queuing in an upwards direction. A sloped floor and stepped displays heighten the effect while also delivering unimpeded views.

For BAKE’s first Vietnam outing, Joe Chikamori has delivered a retail setting that makes clever use of an unusual elevated building design.

Sweeping full-length windows give passersby a direct line of sight into the baking and presentation of the tarts, which appear to hover on artfully mounted tables. Ceiling-mounted mirrors lend further product visibility, while a subtle contrast in building materials ‘spotlights’ the staff as they work.

The brand’s palette of greys creates a crisp, industrial vibe, with lighter tones used inside to draw the eye and create focus on kitchen activity and the product. Colour comes from the bright yellow of the tarts on display, as well as yellow wall-mounted packaging – a vertical interpretation of the desserts themselves.

A yellow roller door with a stepped head jamb pulls it all together, overseen by a neon logotype that stands apart from the building’s reserved neutral tones.

Bold, refined and surprising, it’s an icon in the baking.