The second bakery to feature on Dezeen this week is designed by Japanese studio Airhouse Design Office and features a tree growing out of its curved timber counter (+ slideshow).

Located in the central Japanese prefecture of Gifu, Bread Table by Airhouse Design Office is small bakery with a shop space and kitchen divided by a structural plywood display counter.

Cane baskets piled with loaves of bread and wire racks of pastries are stacked at intervals along the counter, while translucent polycarbonate corrugated sheets line the front and give off a pink glow when the room is lit up in the evening.

The same corrugated sheets have also been used to line a wall and the interior of the door, which features a chunky wooden handle.

"The plywood counter can be used for a variety of purposes such as a display space, checkout counter or a working space to cut bread and knead dough," said architect Keiichi Kiriyama.

The kitchen and selling space were designed to have equal weight, with the large table-like platform counter between them.

"For this shop with a small-sized staff the design enables the owner to always have knowledge of the shop situation and allows different actions depending on how much bread is produced," Kiriyama said.

"As a result this creates an open atmosphere, fosters communication between the customers and bakers, and displays the process from the time the bread is baked to the moment it is sold," he continued.

The whitewashed walls are lined with simple wooden shelves on each side of the shop space, filled with plants and more baked goods.

Also included are low-hung lamps, timber floorboards, and two stripped wooden chairs for customers next to the glass window front.

Other bakeries featured on Dezeen include a Portuguese bakery with a ceiling design to look like dripping cake topping, a Suffolk bakery with a magpie's nest motif set in the serving counter and a Melbourne bakery with the interior designed as an oversized bread basket.

Another Airhouse Design Office project on Dezeen is a converted warehouse in Yoro with a bedroom and bathroom hidden inside a white box.

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Photography is by Toshiyuki Yano.