Nestled in Shigaraki, Japan’s pottery town in Shiga Prefecture, NOTA Shop—designed by Tadahiro Butsugan of design studio ABOUT—is a stunning fusion of centuries-old craft traditions and modern design, offering a sensory sanctuary and a meeting point for people, objects, and ideas.
Shigaraki, long revered for its ceramic heritage, serves as the perfect backdrop for this innovative project. The shop is located in a former pottery factory, with two distinct buildings that represent both the past and the future. A 450m² wooden structure houses the main shop, while the adjacent 800m² steel-framed building serves as the atelier for NOTA&design, the brand behind the ceramics and lifestyle products that the shop showcases. Another house nearby has been converted into the studio’s office, solidifying this space as a hub for creativity and collaboration.
The name NOTA is derived from nota, the adhesive used in pottery-making, symbolizing the glue that binds people to each other and to the objects around them. The concept behind the space was not just to create a place to sell goods, but to foster connections between people and things, a sentiment that runs deep through the design of the space itself.
Butsugan’s involvement in the project spanned four years, working closely with the shop’s owners—both designers themselves. The renovation of the old pottery factory was a labor of love, with Butsugan and the owners leading much of the construction themselves. The result is a space that feels both grounded in history and forward-thinking, where every detail is imbued with purpose.
The wooden shop building, originally quite worn, was renovated to highlight its structural elements. Butsugan embraced the imperfections of the space, leaving the rough wooden trusses exposed in the ceiling to create a sense of raw, unrefined beauty. The floors were covered in stone-mixed plaster, hand-polished by the team at NOTA&design, adding a tactile element to the environment that encourages visitors to pause and connect with the space.
At the heart of the shop lies a narrow white cube gallery, designed to showcase the ceramics in the most natural light possible. The white walls, reinforced with steel columns, allow the silhouettes of the products to stand out in stark contrast to the ever-changing play of light filtering through the windows. This idea, inspired by Butsugan’s monthly visits to the site before the design process, brings a quiet harmony between the space and the objects displayed within it.
A strong sense of identity is conveyed through the large zelkova and wenge timber tables that anchor the space. These raw timbers, part of Butsugan’s private collection, introduce a tactile, organic feel to the shop, grounding it in nature. Further enhancing the connection to the past, the shop’s design incorporates elements of the pottery factory’s history, such as wooden pallets used for drying pottery and kiln spacers—subtle nods to the factory’s legacy.
In one corner of the shop, a small café provides a quiet respite for visitors, offering a chance to relax and take in the space. The furniture in the café and antique fixtures throughout the shop are from the owner’s personal collection, adding warmth and character to the otherwise minimalist space. The café’s counter, covered in textured tiles left over from the factory, adds yet another layer of continuity between the shop and the history it inhabits.
