After renting the space for our ceramic gallery and showroom/cafe, we have been working together with the designer to turn the ideas into reality. Our lack of experience has made us take a longer path, but we have learned a great deal along the way. I was told "you will only learn how to build a house after you build it three times".

As our construction finally comes to an end, we wanted to share the list of dedicated professionals and suppliers who have been extremely helpful in the process.

One of the main construction suppliers that we relied on was Lehmann, a great supplier of solid wood.

They have a large stock of solid wood and veneer in south of Berlin, where both professionals and private customers drop in to make a purchase. Having grown up in Japan with some connection to the forestry industry, I found it refreshing to see the variety of hardwood available. Prices are reasonable, considering how expensive hardware stores like Bauhaus sell their low quality wood for.

We have used walnut, European oak, and pear as our primary materials used in the showroom.

6cm thick slab of wood (50cm x 300 cm) can cost around 100 euro to 300 euro depending on the type of wood. It's important to note they are unprocessed raw cut, which means you will lose a substantial amount after planing and sanding the slab flat. Our 6 cm walnut slab was sanded down to about 4 cm.

Furnier Lehmann
Kitzingstraße 21-23
12277 Berlin-Marienfelde

Read more on our use of walnut slab
Walnut Bench, Tang oil finish - Gato
The Urushi Bar Counter

Another material that is strongly featured in our showroom space is sheets of zinc lined up along the wall and under the counter. The zinc is a soft metal that ages with use. The zinc panels softly reflect the black and white tiles on the floor, making our space feel a little more spacious.

GEMMEL-METALLE is a raw metal supplier that you can pre-order or drop by for a pick up. Both professional and private customer can make a purchase (minimum 45 euro purchase). You can walk in to their entrance to see various examples that you might want to use in your space.

We have used their 0.7 mm zinc sheets, and some aluminum profiles for stairs. Good quality, better prices and variation than Bauhaus.

Gemmel-Metalle
Bessemerstraße 76B,
12103 Berlin

Ceiling of the showroom is covered with hemp acoustic panel from Von Hanf, a company that specializes in building materials made from hemp. Hemp has low environmental cost compared to other construction materials, and has great acoustic quality.

Von hanf
Silentlith AKUSTIKPLATTE 30mm

Read more on the installation of our ceiling board
Hemp Board Ceiling - Gato

One of the leading urushi refiners in Japan is Urushi Tsutsumi Asakichi from Kyoto. Established in 1882, their work revolves around refining the raw sap of the urushi tree for artisans. Urushi Tsutsumi Asakichi is a boundary-exploring company, with artisans experimenting with modern applications for urushi, such as hand-carved wooden surfboards.

We use their urushi for our walnut counter and our kintsugi repair work.

Urushi Tsutsumi Asakichi

Awagami Factory is a producer and supplier of paper based in Tokushima, Japan, known for their wide range of high-quality paper — from traditional Awa washi to fine art printing paper.

Awagami Factory

This is a small local store with door knobs, wall hooks, electric cables, screws and bolts, tools, and other small things you might need for your space. Old little store in West Berlin that keeps the high quality pieces available in the age of mass consumption.

C. Adolph Eisenwaren
Savignyplatz 3
10623 Berlin-Charlottenburg

Incredible range of solution relating to hanging things from the wall and ceiling. Great product, great website, and great catalog.

Arakawa Grip

The building is so-called altbau, with old masonry walls. We have chosen lime based plaster and paint to keep the breathable quality of the wall. "Breathable" wall allows regulation of moisture in a well insulated room, that modern constructions often block.

Lime in addition has high alkaline and prevents mold. Natur am Bau is a shop with various construction materials and pigments focusing on traditional and natural materials.

Becareful when applying primer before lime plaster. Typical wall primer found in hardware store can be made from latex, polyethylene, and other non-porous coats, that are unsuitable for lime-based plaster. Choose breathable primer.

Natur am Bau
Tucholskystraße 22
10117 Berlin

One of our early struggles when we started the construction was a thick, dark-red floor paint, known as Oxen blood. The paint has been commonly used for its extreme durability, and is known to protect the wood for a century. It's cheap and durable, but known to be a nightmare to remove.

We have contacted professionals for the removal of the ox blood floor in a 24 m2 room. The quote was about 1500 to 2000 euro, plus materials (sand paper).

We were lucky to find a reasonable local company that rents drum sander for a floor. They provide you with protective gear, sand paper for the drum sander. They don't really charge you much overhead for the sandpaper (compared to privately purchasing in Bauhaus), and generally have fair pricing.

Daily rate for drum sander is 25 euro, and sand paper is approx 5 euro per piece. Expect a few days of work if removing ox blood.

OSC Dielendesign Parkett & Dielen GmbH
Feurigstraße 39
10827 Berlin

The iconic lamp from Ernesto Gismondi was found by our designer James second hand for a reduced price.
With dome shaped mesh cover, and bright halogen lamp, it creates a comforting ambience below the lamp, and an expansive mesh shadow above it. Its large size was a major cause of annoyance while it was in the storage, but once it was installed, we were impressed by its effect. A good design comes to life when it's in use.

With our budget limited and running low, we were often forced to scramble for cheaper options. However, you will easily waste 50 euro to put together a "cheap" lighting, that is neither lasting nor satisfactory. This lamp was found used for 75 euro, and it is already on its second life.

Through this process of construction, I came to re-appreciate all the professionals that bring together materials and products with dedication. In an era where you can always find cheaper alternatives, this dedication often gets lost. However, what we will continue to use, is always those objects that have someones dedication and intention captured in it.