mino ware tiles add texture and color to heys café interior by BREND in osaka

Heys Café by BREND: A Flexible, Material-Driven Space in Osaka

Located near the river in Nakanoshima, Osaka, Heys Café is a newly constructed coffee shop designed by BREND. The project responds to the brand’s concept of ‘no barriers’ by creating a space where varying materials and functions coexist within a compact footprint of approximately 33 sqm (10 tsubo).

To balance seating capacity with a sense of openness, BREND introduced a built-in volume that serves as outdoor bench seating. The café’s street-facing facade incorporates operable steel sashes, allowing for flexible enclosure and ventilation while encouraging interaction between interior and exterior spaces. The overall facade concept intentionally softens the boundary between indoors and outdoors, promoting fluid movement of air and light throughout the space.

all images courtesy of BREND

Material Continuity and Flexible Spatial Use define BREND’s design

Considering materiality, BREND’s design team utilizes Mino ware tiles for both the bench and table finishes, a material characterized by uneven color variation, adding visual texture and continuity. The surrounding walls feature a plaster finish in a color range closely matched to the tiles, creating a cohesive material palette while highlighting subtle differences between surface treatments.

The café’s furniture is designed with flexibility in mind. Stackable elements allow the interior layout to adapt easily for alternative uses outside of regular business hours, supporting a variety of spatial configurations.

designed by BREND, the café reflects the brand’s concept of ‘no barriers’

outdoor bench seating is integrated into the building’s volume

material selection emphasizes both texture and durability

the design maximizes usability while maintaining simplicity

different surface materials are unified through a shared color palette

a pastel color palette unifies the interior

stackable furniture allows the interior to be easily reconfigured

walls feature a plaster finish in a tone that complements the tiles

project info:

name: heys
architect: BREND

lead designer: Joe Yoshimura | @joe.yoshimura

location: Osaka, Japan

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom