Owners Ian Jin and his life and business partner Sonia Zhang lived in Tokyo for five years and were keen to spread the word on some of the talent they discovered.

"We wanted to showcase the traditional skills by known as well as emerging artists," says Zhang, pointing out the "crushed" ceramics from Makoto Komatsu and the Arita porcelain, the latter produced in Aria that has a 400-year old history of producing ceramics. "We wanted a similar sense of craftsmanship in the design of this store," says Jin.

The couple engaged Nexus Designs to come up with a simple, gallery-like fit-out for the 130-square-metre store.

"Our brief was to explore Japanese culture as well as represent the 12 different artisans represented," says senior interior designer Lucy Marczyk, who worked closely with the practice's creative director Sonia Simpfendorfer.

Nexus Designs loosely divided Monolab (mono after the word single [items] and lab, not dissimilar to a laboratory) into three zones.

The first area features two rock maple benches, each one beautifully displayed with items wrapped in Japanese cloth known as furoshiki.

Complete with a couple of stools, customers can enjoy seeing their gifts artfully wrapped. And on the other side of the store are five plinths, also made from rock maple, with each plinth carrying an explanation about the artisan as well as information about the region in Japan where the item comes from.

"We were trying to create a narrative with each group of items, explaining the materials and processes behind each display," says Marczyk. And to ensure the artifacts are the highlight of the store, black rubber appears on the floor and, like a gallery, the walls and ceiling, are simply painted white.

In the centre of Monolab are plinths and a reception counter clad in an unusual black glass. Supplied by CSR Viridian ScalaMirage, this lined acid-etched black glass is evocative of fashion designer Issey Miyake's pleated fabrics.

The reflective surfaces also help to magnify the white porcelain vases and black steel teapots. "This fit-out is about capturing the feel of a more high-end market, but displaying items that are equally affordable," says Marczyk.

To create a sense of intimacy within this relatively large floor plate, Nexus Designs included a veranda-style structure that hovers above the central plinths. "This series of fabric is about creating a traditional screen in a more contemporary setting," she adds.

Framing the gallery-like store either side are narrow shelves, just wide enough to support cards and jewellery. "Our graphic designers wanted to create something that was simple, that didn't overwhelm you when you walk in the door.

The Monolab signage (across the back wall), is as deliberately recessive," says Marczyk, who saw the greatest challenge with this design as getting the balance correct.

"We wanted a restrained Japanese aesthetic, but one that still created a certain 'buzz' and level of excitement for those coming into the store," adds Marczyk.

As with the Nexus Design practice, there are also elements taken from the Danish aesthetic, such as Carl Hansen's wishbone chair displayed in store.

"There's a certain synergy with both the Japanese and Danish cultures. Hopefully, you'll notice something from each at Monolab."