TAKAMICHI BEAUTY ROOM – A CONTEMPORARY CABINET OF CURIOSITIES

Our vision for Takamichi Beauty Room looks to the centuries-old legacy of cabinets of curiosity to create a new retail conception, inspired by the past and for the present. 

Early cabinets of curiosity of the 15th and 16th centuries sought to “distill the universe” by combining naturalia, art, and scientific novelties from all over the world within the confines of a chamber. The ostensibly humanist motivation (power moves aside) in curating these aesthetic feasts of knowledge was to cultivate one’s private intellectual life; exhibiting superficially unrelated material on an aesthetic rather than rational basis with the aim of hosting curiosity & wonder in the beholder.

While our motivations and ambitions are not necessarily aligned with those of a Renaissance prince, and we do not pretend to “distill the universe,” the impulse to inspire curiosity & wonder through objects and their display remains the same.

Our selection criterion is based on the Littré Dictionary’s definition the French world objet: “anything which is the cause or subject of a passion. Figuratively and most typically: the loved object.”  An oversimplification of our process to be sure, but one that captures its essence. We believe in the integrity of objects. In a Proustian way: how a glycerin soap can stimulate our senses, our memories, delight us, and yes, kindle a tiny passion within us. Our shop lends itself to beauty and wellness because of the sensory nature and accessibility of their objets.

In the spirit of cabinets of curiosity, we discover most of our products while traveling or through encounters; our stock comes from all over and is always evolving. Everything we sell has a story, and we are always happy to share it with you.