Art + Ink

Tora Sumi is Japanese for tiger ink, a high end tattoo studio and art gallery space located at Balmain in Sydney’s inner west. boxercox was commissioned to create and launch the identity, branding, interior design and styling, website, social media, event styling, gallery curation and ongoing creative direction.

The Interiors at Tora Sumi are all about detail. The warmth of timber contrast with the thickness of felted wool in citrus colours. Luxe leather mixes with highly polished acrylic. Vintage design pieces are combined with quirky modern design elements. Yet all is designed as a backdrop to let the gallery art sing and allow the artists to create in what is essentially a blank canvas.

The concept of hand-created is reflected in all the bespoke items like the Gagnon Studio screen made from recycled teak, the upcycled retro chairs and custom cushions. Designs like the Schumacher Chang Mai Dragon fabric reflect Tora Sumi’s Asian Heritage. Grids and lines suggest the intricate linework of the Tattoo artists.

The warmth and heritage of the wood throughout, from the original reconditioned beams found beneath the ceilings, reconditioned timber floors and the gorgeous reclaimed Ironbark wharf beams that are the foundations of the shopfront, suggest strength and sanctuary.

Details:
Ottomans by Koskela, Screen by Gagnon Studio, Vintage Danish desk from Vampt, Lights by Suck UK, Artemide & Mondo Luce, Vintage Danish Wool Lounge from Vampt, Vintage Danish Leather Lounge and arm chair from Bobutik, Replica Erik Buch Stools and Isamu Noguchi Coffee Table from Sokol, Retro chairs upholstered by Advamp, Sign by The Beehive, Shelving by Sydneyside, Cisa Ceramin Timber look tiles in Wenge by Everstone, Gallery walls -“Wool” by Berger, Studio walls “Lexicon” by Dulux, Feature orange walls Oompa Loompa Chalkboard paint by Porters, Shopfront – “English Castle” by Wattyl, All Art framed by The Art Scene

Build by Pride Building
Interiors, Corporate Identity + Design by boxercox

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ToraSumi was a brand new kind of tattoo studio, one that would welcome mums and shied away from the tough scary image of backyard tattoo shops. Featuring a working Art Gallery up front and a range of merchandise and gifts Boxercox worked from the initial purchase of the premises to bring the brand to life creating their identity, designing the interiors and working with the builders and trades to creating the branding presence for torasumi both on and offline. The company has gone from strength to strength and is now one of Sydney's premier studios.

TS