MUJI, NYC

With its massive Manhattan flagship, the fifth of its NYC offerings, Japanese lifestyle brand MUJI has truly cemented its ‘comfortable living’ ethos in the Big Apple.

The new store favours the tactile experiences and minimalist design MUJI is known for, with its two storeys carefully outfitted with products for every aspect of everyday living. There’s everything from earthenware to travel gear to potted plants.

Exposed brick, polished cement and untreated wood provide a backdrop for the brand’s neutral tones and ever-shifting array of products, arranged in inviting vignettes or in understated displays. A ‘Found MUJI’ section showcases ‘discovered’ products from around the world, while the NYC-themed clothing and tote bags are the result of local collaborations – with more to come.

MUJI’s focus on only the bare essentials creates a retail setting where everything becomes a must-have.

There’s plenty to explore beyond the products themselves. Gallery-inspired installations and earnest endcaps describe the origins and materials behind the current suite of goods on offer. Customers can also blend their own essential oils at the Aroma Labo, personalise their clothing purchases at an embroidery station and decorate stationery items or paper shopping bags at a stamp bar.

There’s no arguing that the brand’s ‘MUJI is enough’ sentiment – a design approach that believes luxury arises from the use of materials that are perfectly suited to their role and nothing more – is captured perfectly throughout the new store.

From entrance to checkout there’s nothing superfluous or overbearing. Rather, everything has a place and a purpose. It’s not more than enough – but rather the right kind of enough.