A professional resource for the design curious

Get the latest design news direct to your inbox!

Japanese design

Keiji Ashizawa on the beauty of harmonised simplicity

Keiji Ashizawa on the beauty of harmonised simplicity

It all starts with context and materiality for Japanese architect and designer, Keiji Ashizawa, whose work can be defined by harmonised details through an emphasis on simplicity and curated collaboration.

Expect the unexpected: Luchetti Krelle’s The Upper Tokyo

Expect the unexpected: Luchetti Krelle’s The Upper Tokyo

Australian craftsmanship meets Japanese luxe in Luchetti Krelle’s exciting and luscious restaurant design for The Upper Tokyo.

HAVN takes its cues from modern Scandi and Japanese influences

HAVN takes its cues from modern Scandi and Japanese influences

For a brand that prides itself on originality and authenticity, this space made perfect sense for HAVN’s new home on Gertrude Street in Melbourne.

Steve Leung Design Group transports diners from Hong Kong to Japan in God of Teppanyaki

Steve Leung Design Group transports diners from Hong Kong to Japan in God of Teppanyaki

Steve Leung Design Group curates an upscale ambience distinguished by Japanese design elements and thoughtful spatial plan that offers patrons utmost discretion.

Suiseki – lounges inspired by Japanese stones

Suiseki – lounges inspired by Japanese stones

Inspired by the Japanese rocks that bear their name, the Suiseki collection from laCividina find the beauty in spontaneous, harmonious lack of alignment.

Esterre: French dining for gourmands in the mood for Japanese

Esterre: French dining for gourmands in the mood for Japanese

A new Alain Ducasse restaurant in the Palace Hotel Tokyo, with interiors by SIMPLICITY, celebrates Japanese and French craft in both the menu and interiors.

Japanese atmospherics: Ishizuka by Russell & George

Japanese atmospherics: Ishizuka by Russell & George

Creating a sensory dining experience that fuses Japanese and Australian culture – rather than a “mock tradition” – Ishizuka by Russell & George transports diners while keeping their feet on the ground.

Wonderwall designs a Japanese winery ‘bunker’ inspired by winemaking

Wonderwall designs a Japanese winery ‘bunker’ inspired by winemaking

Set into a hillside in Japan, the concrete bunker aesthetic of this winery, designed by Wonderwall, belies a fastidious approach to wine-making that defines its layout.

Flexible retail: HAY Tokyo by Schemata Architects

Flexible retail: HAY Tokyo by Schemata Architects

Incorporating ‘moveable interfaces’ and display systems into its design for HAY Tokyo, Schemata Architects has allowed the temporary store interior to move and grow as its needs change.

5 minutes with Jin Kuramoto

5 minutes with Jin Kuramoto

Japanese designer Jin Kuramoto is a practical, hands-on designer. He separates the rational from the imaginative to arrive at design solutions that fit the client, while also inspiring the customer.

Fritz Hansen N01 – a modern chair for the modern home

Fritz Hansen N01 – a modern chair for the modern home

N01, by Japanese studio Nendo for Fritz Hansen, is a modern chair for the design and quality-conscious home, now available from Cult.

Toyo Ito on architecture’s core points

Toyo Ito on architecture’s core points

There was high demand for interviews with Toyo Ito at Hong Kong Business of Design Week 2018. In a group session, the eminent Japanese architect answered a variety of questions about key aspects of architecture and practice.