When I was young I owned a book with drawings of various houses. Who ever did those illustrations made sure to not include one outer wall, so that I was able to look right into all the different rooms of the building. I thought it was fascinating to study what all those tiny humans did in their homes.
Everyday activities that are normally hidden behind thick walls,things that give real meaning to a building and make it somebodies home.
I created the Play Cupboard for the Paris Fashion Week. A Japanese fashion label offered me to exhibit one of my furniture as a part of their show. I started to search for inspiration by doing some rough sketches.One of those sketches contained a triangular element, that looked like a roof to me.
Instantly I thought of all the things many people connect with this kind of shape: shelter, peace and life itself.
Even more it reminded me of those drawings in my childhood books and I decided right then, that I wanted to use those memories to design the interior of a new cupboard.
Memories are the main theme and inspiration for my work and I hope to inspire them in other people as well, although theirs might be totally different from my own.
The building process went as always. Starting from the ‚roof concept‘ I
followed my instincts and experimented with the freedom that my way to
build furniture offers. While I was assembling the pieces I noticed a
strange feeling, that at the time I wasn’t really able to put into words.
My initial idea was to color the Play Cupboard, but something told me to leave the wood in its pure, natural state.
Only when I looked at the finished cupboard, did I understand the reason
for this strange sensation. My furniture reminded me of the temples and
shrines that I grow up with in Japan. More so it made me recall the special feeling, that I felt when I stood in front of such buildings. It wasn’t
necessarily a religious feeling. It was simply the aura of purity and
serenity that emanated from the architecture of such places.
On many occasions people told me that my work looks ‚very Japanese‘
and most of the time I can’t really understand how they come to that
conclusion. This time however, it was me who was surprised to see, that I
unwittingly built a furniture, that reminded me of something typically
Japanese.
Material : glass, oak, brass
SIZE :W110 D100 H230cm