nendo: tokyo baby cafe

interior view of ‘tokyo baby café’

located in aoyama, ‘tokyo baby café’ is a space designed by japanese designer nendo. the ‘parent and child café’ is meant to be a place in which parents can enjoy having a coffee, catching up with friends etc., without having to worry about their children’s surroundings. the café houses a playroom and is stocked with books and toys to occupy the children. separate rooms for nursing and changing provide privacy. wide aisles take into consideration the use of strollers. in terms of safety, light switches and door handles are placed up high, out of children’s reach.

accommodating parent and child, the café’s interior plays on the difference in scale of its two very different-sized users, who see the world through different eyes. for example, the design of the tables. adults are aware of what is on tabletops, whereas children only see the underside of the tables. a table’s legs can look like pillars and the reverse of the tabletop is much like a roof to them. undersides of tables where parents don’t reach, hide pictures of parent and baby animals which entertain the children from a different angle.

the contrast between the ‘huge’ and ‘tiny’ furnishings, take advantage of these two perspectives. there is a large nursing sofa which becomes a playroom when blown-up on a massive scale, but becomes a diaper changing table when shrunken down to small proportions. big windows are paired with small ones, big light bulbs with tiny light bulbs, floorboards vary in size continuing on this play of big and small.

a large nursing sofa also functions as a playroom

nursing sofas can also act as changing tables

all photos by jimmy cohrssen