Japan, birthplace of the Washlet, continues to forge new ground in toilet design. This one by architects Yuri Naruse and Jun Inokuma and toilet manufacturer TOTO smells like a conservatory greenhouse thanks to the living wallpaper and floor. Perfect for all those Tokyoites without an outdoor garden of their own?
Architect Kengo Kuma designed the exhibition, which includes a full-scale model house by each of six architect/corporate teams, plus one 1:5 model apartment complex (not pictured here). The grids of raw lumber lining the walkways will be dismantled and shipped to Fukushima after the show ends to be reused in a factory.
Shigeru Ban teamed up with retailer MUJI—famous for its super-simple designs—to create this “House of Furniture.”
Storage units like this one stand in as walls and structural support—no posts or beams needed.
There are bookshelves, closets, and cabinets galore in the pared-down, boxy home.
Legless kitchen island by Shigeru Ban, MUJI chairs by Naoto Fuksawa.
Artist Hiroshi Sugimoto collaborated with Sumitomo Forestry on this elegant interior. “It’s traditional Japanese style but it’s also hyper-modern,” the artist said.
“I’m an unlicensed architect,” Sugimoto joked on a tour through the model house.
He designed the retro-modern chairs, too.
The fence is made from bamboo brooms. Why? “They’re cheap and ready-made,” Sugimoto said.
The “Edited House” was dreamed up by Tsutaya Books together with architects Masataka Baba, Atsumi Hayashi, and Hiroya Yoshizato from Tokyo R Real Estate. The idea is to let used-home buyers redesign their living space with maximum freedom.
Residents would strip their condo or house down to its skeleton, then add new features from the real estate agent’s online “tool box” of choices. For instance, those who value their daily me-time might want to add a rolling study cubby like this one.
Sou Fujimoto collaborated with Honda on this high-tech home that integrates energy generation systems with the living space and family car. Solar roof panels charge the batteries on this electric vehicle parked in the light-filled living room.
Toyo Ito’s semi-outdoor space—a collaboration with building-material company LIXIL—lets in light and air but keeps out the rain. The glass box on the far right is airtight. That’s where the kitchen/dining area and bedroom are.
The good news: MUJI’s philosophy of blandness-as-virtue does not extend to the kitchen.
All 7,000-plus MUJI products are on sale at the three-floor Yurakucho shop.
Natural wood, white, and brown are the MUJI colors of choice. Here’s a happy exception: a red Roundish chair. Too bad it’s only available at the Yurakucho store!
Pressboard shelving. (Also available only at the Yurakucho store.)
Ail Vase Lamp by Idée, MUJI’s more colorful partner company.
Also from Idée, the Ao Sofa. Just the right size for a Tokyo micro-house.
Naoto Fukasawa’s classic wall-mounted CD player has a new matching speaker—and who can resist pulling the cord to turn it on? For now, the player is available in the US, but the speaker isn’t.
MUJI’s artistic director Kenya Hara says the company tries to offer an unobtrusive “background” for modern living. These clocks exemplify the point.
These days most MUJI light fixtures are geared towards LEDs. Shown here: a selection of pendant lamps.
The MUJI mantra—simple is best—worked out well in these silicon LED table lamps.
This portable LED light is a big seller in Japan.
After a morning of window-shopping, where else to head for lunch than Café & Meal MUJI? Sadly, not an option in the US.
The (environmentally-friendly) spotlight is on you with this swiveling MARU Spot prototype by Seiji Ishida and Yoko Naito of Saitama-based LIGHTSCENE inc.. LEDs emit a more focused light than incandescent bulbs, which makes them a perfect fit for this design.
For those situations in which nothing but a good old-fashioned light bulb will do, this LED Nostalgic Clear Type lamp from Panasonic should do the trick. The bulb scatters light in all directions and gives off a warm glow, just like those energy-sucking incandescent bulbs we grew up with. It won a 2011 Good Design Award and has place of honor through November 13th at the Good Design Exhibition in the Design Hub gallery at Tokyo Midtown Tower.
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Japan’s Nissho Telecom Corporation says their 11-Watt cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL—the same technology used in TVs and neon lights) is even more efficient than an LED and lasts over 30,000 hours. Joints at the top and bottom of the Tubelumi’s vertical neckpiece allow the lamp to fold into various poses. (The design won the 2009 Good Design Award and is available in Japan.)
PHOTO CREDIT: Nissho Telecom Corporation
I spied this Coral Reef desk lamp, out earlier this year from Taiwan-based QisDesign, for sale at Mid-Century Modern, a funky little shop in Tokyo’s Aoyama district. Brightness is adjusted with a tap on the stand, and the angle of the ocean-inspired LED light can be easily changed as well.
The individual 6-Watt “drops” can be slipped off and used for two to ten hours without plugging in; brightness is adjusted by touching the stem or base. Because the bulbs are made of silicone and don’t heat up, they’d work well in a kid’s room.
Drop Lights by South Korean product-development company DOOlight recharge by resting on their flower-shaped base.
This kura, a traditional storehouse, survived the tsunami. Photo by Maiko Sugawara.
Yasuaki Onoda and his students at work on models for the reconstruction.
Mr. Loop—–a winding blackboard—–wraps around the room at another Hakone exhibit.
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