Nowadays, even the package for a box can be used as furniture. What do you think about ecology in general?

In the architecture world, it is really easy to make rubbish, of course. So, the question arose what I can do as an architect. If the box is just usual one, it is not beautiful enough. I have got loads of records at my place and I put them all into that box as they have been bought. I have always thought “this is really far from beauty”. In terms of ecology, there is the movement which is against mass production and mass consuming. But I think it is better to back to the idea ‘not to throw rubbish away’ than calling at all times ‘ecology, ecology’. The amount of rubbish would not increase if you did not throw it away, wouldn’t it? When I thought that, I came to the idea that what to do about it in design. Then, I started to design the package as furniture because this project is for making furniture with an electric home appliance. On the other hand, I thought it would be interesting if this furniture comes with the electric home appliance. Usually, if I was asked to make a handrail, I would order 10,00 pieces of wood for mass production. However, it is different in this project. This time, I can do a various things because it is an individual box sold at life-style shops. I can use leather or material in a package, for example, and you can enjoy using this as furniture as well. This is nothing except an added value as I just want to put the records into it.

As it can be seen in Atehaca’s website, were you conscious of Japanese beauty by using bamboo?

Yes, I was. I am conscious of ‘a product from Japan’. For example, Japanese grandmothers tell children not to throw or waste things. This idea is not in the western thoughts. I had a chance to talk to German designers called Jam at the event Happening last year and they started to talk about politics. At that time, I just said “I am not sure because I am not a politician, but I would like to make products which people can take care of”. Their reaction to my opinion was quite cool and that made me think that my viewpoint might be accurate. The meaning of Japanese should indicate that the quality of the product is Japanese taste. The reason for using bamboos is that the word ‘Atehaca’ has got the meaning which express the image of Kaguya-hime (a bamboo princess). And the staff of Tycoon Graphic which took charge of making the web site said “we can feel the image of bamboos in Atehaca as if it grows up dramatically”. I found the common point as bamboo from them so that the word Atehaca was chosen. It is not only that the products are Japanese in taste but also they should be Japanese in thought.

Do you think about Japanese taste when you start a new project in architecture and others?

Japanese used to sit down on the floor rather than on the chair but it is opposite now. On the other hand, there is a question ‘what is a Japanese taste thing?’ in my creative thought, because I know the advantages of both Japan and western countries. This question came to me, because I am Japanese but it is not a Japanese taste like question. I use stuff and skills from western culture but I just absorb them with my thoughts. It is obviously not real if I say that Japanese taste means not to use things from western culture. This is a different thing from not using Internet or websites, for example. I do not use this sort of things and do not mean to.

What sort of ideas did you put in the appearence of Atehaca products?

The products have been designed with the image of dishes as the things which are placed on a dining table or near from living space. We have got traditional dishes such as a bento box. The relationship between ‘dishes and a bento box’ has changed to ‘home appliances, meals and a package’ in this project. It makes the relationship between home appliances, dishes and meals beautiful as a meaning.

Please tell us about the future projects of Intentionallies.

Interior would be the core project because we are doing that at the moment. As for this year, these electric home appliances and furniture (chairs which were exhibited on the first floor at YM Square) were the main thing. I would like to investigate how these products should be in a living place as one of the goals of the interior project. I am thinking that it might be possible to design everything which is used in everyday life with the theme of ‘where is the most appropriate place for products we made?’. As a project for next year, it would be nice if I could present a house which is like a skyscraper in a commercial area and a one-storied house in the surburbs as two different life style houses.

Intentionallies
Address: 3F One Eight Bldg, 2-18-15 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
http://www.intentionallies.co.jp