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naoto fukasawa

Home Tag naoto fukasawa
talking to riccardo conti in fantini’s new space in chicago.

talking to riccardo conti in fantini’s new space in chicago.

Nov 14, 2016

we are visiting italian bathroom fixtures specialist fantini in their new chicago showroom in the luxehome design resource center in chicago’s merchandise mart and speaking to riccardo conti, managing director / fantini north america. one’s first impression when looking at the products is striking sophistication and a leanness in form.

[designapplause] riccardo, welcome to chicago. please tell us what’s unique and special about fantini.
[riccardo conti] first of all this year is special as we celebrate 70 years. i think over the last few decades fantini has been particularly successful because of consistency. for example, every time we introduce a new collection it’s always a collaboration with a designer, and though each designer brings their own personal vision to their solutions, everything is very much aligned with a style that tells you it’s a fantini product.

and that’s always been the case but recent introductions the company has become very aggressive to a change in mindset. we have entered a new phase that while preserving a fantini style of simplicity and elegance, we’ve have added a more transitional look.

[da] looking over your presentation in this showroom you are an exception to the rule. it’s very rare for a showroom to successfully mix and match iconic simplicity with iconic traditional. the two esthetics usually are served up as diametrically opposed —— and people normally like one or the other. fantini has managed to maintain simplicity while adding classic sumptuousness.
[rc] yes, i certainly agree and thank you. the new vision goes together well with what is existing. our designs are never too loud, more quiet but very elegant with a good sense of proportion.

a good example is our fontane bianche collection designed by italian architect and interior stylist elisa ossino, a fusion of stone and water. in addition i’d like to say the collaboration with salvatori for the fontane bianche collection is not new to fantini because we have collaborated with others before, especially boffi which is ongoing. and coincidently, salvatori is also celebrating 70 years.

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above/below> fontane bianche

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the materials in this collection is more industrial with a sort of delicate touch. industrial elements are rough and unfinished surfaces. the idea behind the collaboration with salvatori was not to just introduce a line of faucets, but also include sinks and accessories that tie into one concept. maybe some clients would prefer just the faucets or just the sinks.

and this idea is precisely special and unique because today companies try to be include too many iterations together and lose some focus on being a specialist. we do have kitchen products but maybe we are not yet very strong. in fontane bianche, fantini remains a bathroom specialist.

another new introduction is a collaboration with belgium architect / designer vincent van duysen, who is also the creative director for moltini, to create icona which offers two distinct concepts, icona classic and icona deco which communicates two sentiments, one of timelessness and one of memory.

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above> icona classic / below> icona deco

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[da] a noticeable detail is a distinctive metallic-like matte finish. how did the matte concept appear?
[rc] the finish is not new to us, it’s pvd (physical vapor deposition) treatment seen typically on jewelry, aerospace and biomedical applications and permits an unlimited range of color tones. pvd is more durable than chrome and aligns well within a bathroom environment. the new color palette comes in three options, matte gun metal, brushed copper and matte british gold. the finish permits an aged look but in fact it doesn’t age like real metal that tarnishes.

fantini16-finishes11

interestingly the use of color go way back to 70s and back then there were many colors. in recent years, black and white started trending although the trend never really took off. in addition to black and white, we added numerous other colors (all on custom request based on the “ral” range of colors) and it’s been quite successful, applied to the balocchi collection first and then extended to the whole range.

[da] what else is new?
[rc] two new looks for us is lamé and venezia by italian designer matteo thun and spanish designer antonio rodriguez. lamé is an interesting shape and interesting to the touch, a square shape with rounded edges. it comes with a polished chrome finish with a unique and a choice of a contrasting matte black or white handle. a surprisingly well received new look are beautiful round crystal handles found in venezia which communicates style, tradition, elegance and refined luxury. venezia also has another classic lever handle in black or chrome plated metal.

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above> lamé / below> venezia

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[da] this finish looks like stainless steel.
[rc] for many years we’ve done the brushed nickel finish. but we’ve discontinued that finish and we now use stainless steel 316 as it is marine grade and highly resistant to corrosion. it’s used a lot in outdoor applications, it’s recyclable and really eco-friendly because when you do brass/nickel finish there’s a lot of chemical processes you have to go through.

we now have four collections made entirely of stainless steel two of which are new in 2016. one designed by naoto fukasa is called aboutwater, a collaboration with boffi. aboutwater is the result of an exploration into the simplification of forms. the faucets and shower system become discs and cylinders; the taps look like the controls of a stereo. the design is so reduced the aesthetic quality of materials is emphasized.

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above> aboutwater af21 / below> mint

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another new stainless steel product is mint and designed by angeletti (silvana) & ruzza (daniele). mint is a first in the marketplace, a square faucet. why is it the first? the reason everyone stays away from this shape is the difficulty to execute in production. with circular shapes you work with materials already available on the market. this shape is completely custom.

below> fantini in the luxehome design resource center in chicago’s merchandise mart

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above> riccardo conti

[ fantini ]

glaslove: redesigning the course of cancer.

glaslove: redesigning the course of cancer.

Sep 19, 2016

continuing luminaire’s innovative use of design to raise awareness and funds for cancer research, the groundbreaking love philanthropic series of charity auctions returns for its fourth edition this fall with glaslove. glass, characterized by the duality of its strong yet fragile nature, is a poetically fitting medium that reflects the spirit of those battling the disease. for this special event, highly collectible, one-off, limited-edition, or prototype works created in glass glass were created by distinguished international designers and design manufacturers, including nendo, piero lissoni, marcel wanders, tadao ando, naoto fukasawa, patricia urquiola, fernando and humberto campana, glas italia, lasvit, arcade, and venini, among others.

coinciding with breast cancer awareness month, the objects from glaslove will be exhibited at luminaire lab starting september 19th, culminating in a live auction and gala dinner on thursday, october 6, 2016. phillips, the international auction house, is partnering with luminaire to lead the joint live and online auction taking place september 19 – october 11, 2016 with funds benefiting research at the sylvester comprehensive cancer center at the university of miami’s miller school of medicine. glaslove will reinforce the multiple roles design can play as a problem-solving endeavor. #breastcancerawareness

luminaire boasts two big events. design miami 2014.

luminaire boasts two big events. design miami 2014.

Nov 25, 2014

luminaire-cg17

this year design miami celebrates 10 years. fittingly, luminaire, a design exemplar in miami presents two events. on monday 1 december, celebrating 30 years in coral gables a newly renovated flagship showroom and a b&b italia miami mono-brand space is unveiled.

and on thursday 4 december, in their design district luminaire lab, continuing a commitment to promoting good design and education curates exhibition DesignJapan featuring three design giants: naoto fukasawa, tokujin yoshioka and nendo,.

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[ coral cables ] the award winning, 15,000 sq-ft flagship showroom is inspired by renowned italian architect and designer piero lissoni and the luminaire design team. the new interior continues to be a background to the unparalleled collection in contemporary design and now features b&b italia miami mono-brand space spread across 7,000 sq-ft on the first floor re-affirming the two companies’ 30 years relationship and the alignment of their vision and philosophies.

originally opened in 1984, the kassamali’s built luminaire’s flagship store in coral gables. in the same year, the miami chapter of the aia recognized the showroom with the award of honor in architecture, while the aia’s florida association gave it the award for excellence in architecture.

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the building, which was created to showcase the company’s philosophy that good design is a way of life, has continued to earn accolades from the aia, garnering the florida association’s 10-year test of time award in 1996, the 25-year test of time award from the miami chapter in 2008 and again from the florida association, the 25-year test of time merit award of excellence in 2012. and now in 2014, the new luminaire interior, inspired by renowned italian architect and designer piero lissoni.

the interior project, the blend of architectural details and materials, and the interplay of light and shadow, give rise to a setting full of personality, with a strong, original and international image rich of ideas, proposals and solutions that inspire people and create environments that affect peoples lives.

event> coral gables showroom – b&b italia miami
venue> luminaire coral gables | 2331 ponce de leon blvd
opening reception> 1 december 2014 / 7p / rsvp

luminaire-cg14

[ designjapan ] blurring the boundaries between art and design, designjapan exhibits works by three japanese tokujin yoshioka, nendo and naoto fukasawa, who create enduring objects tokujin yoshioka, nendo and naoto fukasawa, who create enduring objects- ambiguous. though each designer has his own unique approach and vocabulary, designjapan invites guests to interact and explore how place, technology and material inform these designers.

harnessing its materials, whether natural or synthetic, japanese design is characterized for capitalizing on the material while at the same time combining respect for tradition with forward thinking experimentation. within the exhibit, the viewer is able to witness each of the three designers’ ability to reduce objects to their most essential elements. though pure in form, materiality adds richness to each product.

from the sculptural forms of yoshioka’s brook ottoman for moroso, designed especially for issey miyake, and the shimmering prism collection for glas italia, to the pureness of expression in nendo’s softer than steel collection for desalto, the zabuton for moroso and the brushstroke consoles for glas italia, to fukasawa’s approachable softness in the common bench system for viccarbe, each designer’s understanding of the world around them is on view.

event> designjapan
venue> luminaire lab | 3901 ne 2nd avenue miami design district
dates> 2 – 6 december 2014
opening reception> 4 december 2014 / 7p / rsvp

Dieter rams new book. Phaidon.

Jul 21, 2011



“My goal is to omit everything superfluous so that the essential is shown to best possible advantage.”
Dieter Rams, 1980

Dieter Rams, head of Braun and its prominent designer for forty years, believed that exceptional design is simple design, both visually appealing and functionally sound, relieved of any non-essentials. “As Little Design As Possible” by Sophie Lovell brilliantly shares the relevance of his work in today’s design climate in this beautifully illustrated, eight hundred-page paperback.

The book includes interviews with influential industrial designers, such as Naoto Fukasawa, Sam Hecht and Jasper Morrison, who speak to the cultural significance of his design and its timeless quality. Thorough and hypnotizing with well-written texts in both English and German, “As Little As Possible” also illustrates never-before-seen prototypes of unrealized products and engineering models that reveal his design process.

Few designers have been as prolific yet as modest as Rams. Back to purity, back to simplicity: our lives improve when we embrace as little design as possible.

Overview

>A comprehensive monograph on highly influential product designer Dieter Rams (b.1932). As head of design at Braun from 1961 to 1995, Rams created some of the most iconic objects of the twentieth century

>A detailed text covering Rams’ life, the intellectual context in which he worked, his designs for Braun and Vitsoe, and the ideas and lectures he developed as an advocate for good design

>Includes a foreword by Jonathan Ive, head of design at Apple Inc.

>Sketches and photographs of finished products and prototypes provide insight into Rams’ design process; diverse archival material and photographs give a complete picture of his life and work

>Includes newly-commissioned photographs of Dieter Rams’s house and the Braun archive: a never-before-seen glimpse of the world’s most complete collection of Rams’s designs

[ phaidon store ] [ dieter rams 10 design principles ]

Naoto fukasawa. The unseen outline of things.

Jun 13, 2011

naoto fukasawa at chicago museum of contemporary art 15 june 2010.

June 16, 2010, sitting in the retail showroom of Luminaire Chicago waiting to interview product designer Naoto Fukasawa. There won’t be much time because in 30 minutes he and Luminaire founder Nasir Kassamali are off to the Art Institute of Chicago to meet with Zoe Ryan, curator of the architecture and design collection, to tour Italian architect Renzo Piano’s new 294,000-square-foot Modern Wing.

Naoto is in town as Luminaire’s guest during Neocon 2010, the annual contract furniture exposition held annually in Chicago. The night before he spoke to 500 Luminaire guests at the Museum of Contemporary Art. After his presentation there was a reception back at the Luminaire showroom. Last night Naoto was in a sport coat and today a loose fitting shirt and jeans. I was told to speak slowly though his English is certainly polished enough to discuss psychology, human behavior, world cultures, and how design fits in.

Naoto debuted for many in the U.S. in the 2009 movie “Objectified,” a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. One of a dozen designers in the cast, Naoto is an animated conversationalist, using his time in front of the camera to tell the stories behind concepts, sharing a unique perspective on the object/user relationship. The story telling is his signature delivery.

Design critic Alice Rawsthorn informs me that Naoto is quite well-known to the general public in Asia and Europe. Possibly the most well-known, in part because of his business acumen, his collaborations with renown talent, and his role as a good-design ambassador in these countries.

“Despite all the obvious things one could say about him and his work I feel that what sets him apart from all other contemporary designers is the magical skill to create products without any affectation but which profoundly dissolve into our behavior” ~Konstantin Grcic

[ a most efficient design conclusion ]
One defining characteristic of Naoto’s objects are their simplicity and “inevitable” conclusion. The solution appears effortless and obvious – A most efficient design conclusion. A most appropriate selection of material and construction. The “inevitable” is the realization of the process. But what of the concepting process? This is where Naoto’s life experiences, his mental routines, his designer’s eye take him and collaborators on many adventures and “ah-ha!” moments.

To catch a glimpse of what he’s thinking let’s excerpt from his 2010 book titled The Outline: the unseen outline of things. In this book Naoto collaborates with Tomotsu Fuji, a photographer that Naoto has never met but he had often found himself standing in front of his photos.

[NF] “An ‘outline’ is a contour of something. It is also the boundary that delineates an object and its surroundings. Since that which surrounds an object is air, the outline of a hole in the air that is shaped like an object is the same as the outline of the object itself.

The air (atmosphere) is composed of everything that exists around the object – elements such as people’s experiences and memories; customs and gestures; time, circumstance and sound; technology and culture; and history and trends. Should even one of these elements change, and the outline of the object changes too. People share this outline of the air implicitly.

My job is to determine this outline and to design something that slots right into it. When I first saw Tamasoto’s Fuji’s photos, I was surprised at the indistinct outlines of things. But when I thought about it, I realized that since objects blend into the air and the light, their outlines can’t clearly be seen by people. I was blown way by this fact. I thought, “Fuji takes photos of scenery, even when he’s photographing objects.” He captures both my designs and the air that surrounds them.

Many believe the purpose of taking photos is to erase the background and accentuate the object in question: thinking as much as possible that there is no world around said object.

There are many product designers who do not look at things around an object, who only look at the thing they are designing, who have the idea that the backgrounds attached to things just don’t matter.”

But objects don’t exist by themselves; there is always something that exists around them. This is Naoto’s design philosophy, based on an Eastern philosophy named hari which translates into a “tension.” There is a “tension,” a “force,” that the object and the surrounds inherently possess. And there has to be a balance to create the proper shape of the object. When the force of the object is greater than the surrounds the shape is pushed out. Conversely, a stronger outer surrounds force pushes the shape of the object in. He designs a chair, he has to decide the line, the outline. This is decided by the outside environment–humans, time, ways of sitting–many things decide the shape. An object on its own is not “good design.”

[DA]Perhaps this way of looking at an object and its surroundings drives Naoto to simplify and peel away the unnecessary, like the onion.

[ shape alone is not enough ]
Ten to fifteen years later Naoto began to question the shapes and drifted away from the purely visual. He thought, when you drink a glass of water you don’t think about the glass, just like when you write you don’t think about the pen. This is behavior “without thought” a very Western concept which will transform a bicycle basket into a wastepaper basket, a propped against-the-wall umbrella into a both simple and novel umbrella stand. The “without thought” philosophy now plays a major role in defining the relationship between the object and how the object is used, i.e., bringing in the user.

Jasper Morrison developed the “Super Normal” concept with Naoto. Konstantin Grcic is the person I organized a major exhibition on earlier this year. He briefly worked for Jasper and also works with Naoto on projects for Muji. Konstantin is an incredible designer who like Naoto has a keen sense for bringing innovative solutions to the task of designing everyday objects. Rather than seducing the user with intricacy, Morrison and Naoto have inspired designers such as Grcic to rely on a straightforward approach that is nonetheless inventive.
~Zoë Ryan

[ the business of design and design collaboration ]
At one point, Naoto creates a truly innovative CD player that is seen by the Japanese retailer Muji in MOMA. Muji produces the player. Four years of design consultation with Muji leads to a seat on their board of directors. He continues to design and Muji now has 112 outlets outside of Japan, four in NYC. In 2001 Naoto is hired by a CEO of a toy company in Tokyo to create a new kind of consumer electronics and he is now a partner in Plusminuszero, a domestic electronics brand with a pure and simple aesthetic. Plusminuszero further pushes Naoto into marketing and retail modes, diversions he enjoys and is good at. In 2010 Japanese design house Maruni Wood Industry appoints him their art director.

Naoto also enjoys a synergy with carefully selected creative collaborators. We know of photographer, Tamasoto’s Fuji. When Naoto’s name is mentioned, it’s not uncommon to also hear those of English product designer Jasper Morrison and German product designer Konstantin Grcic.

Naoto is also involved in a partnership in Tokyo that is less about commercial and more about raising an awareness of design. Partnering with fashion designer Issey Miyake and graphic designer, Taku Satoh, they ask Japanese architect Tadoa Ando to create a space for design laboratory-like 21_21 Design Sight which will feature rotating exhibitions. 20_20 refers to perfect human vision. 21_21 means better than perfect. Of course. The naming theme is reminiscent of Naoto’s 2006 collaboration with Jasper Morrison, their installation label “Super Normal.”

[ the interview with designapplause]
[DA] what is your favorite color(s) ? [NF] | i don’t have a favorite color. regarding design, colors are really driven by the solution. what are your favorite shapes ? | ha! see favorite color. what time do you get up in the morning ? go to sleep ? what time of day are you most creative ? | my creative moments are not scheduled by the clock. my designers, they can stay up till midnight. i like sleep. will you retire or continue designing to the end ? | design is not work but a way of life. do you use internet or mobile technologies for research, enjoyment, purchasing, communicating ? | i don’t take much time to read but i always seem to be looking for information. i am not a slave to technology but i do know how to use technology. i tend to go to the internet for a quick retrieval of information. what are your passions ? | i can’t think of any. maybe life ? who inspires you ? | matisse. achille castiglioni. it seems one gets inspired by those people you feel you have common beliefs and interests. what is your favorite/least favorite material to work with ? ha again! see color and shape. what are your favorite/least favorite kinds projects ? | i like projects that make life better. your solutions are very conceptually based. “cloud” took 10 minutes. how much time do you spend on the concept phase ? how important is the concept, say versus, execution when selling an idea to the client? how long does it take to sketch out an idea ? | not long ! true, visualizing cloud did not take very long. but the solution was not just me but B & B too. they have a very talented and experienced in-house design and manufacturing capability. the vision is sometimes fleeting compared to the execution. how will products evolve in the future ? they will get smaller. many may become embedded within us. are there already too many products out there ? there are not enough good products. naoto: thank you, i had many more questions. well then, to another day.

[ what’s REALLY necessary ]
Tamotsu says, “Naoto has built a mountain cabin with no running water or electricity where he spends his weekends. Living with these inconveniences shows him what is really necessary in life. This man, who designs cutting-edge industrial products, places himself in inconvenient situations when he thinks. I believe I can trust in the expressions and the words that emerge from such a man. ‘Objects’ do not tell stories, but in fact behind them lie many words and truths.”

[ new: maruni roundish series ]
One year later since Neocon 2010, what’s happened? Just in from Maruni: Roundish.


roundish | maruni

photo credits: maruni wood industry inc. / roundish. photo by yoneo kawabe | 2011

[ Fukasawa background ]
Born in Yamanashi, Japan, in1956. He graduated from Tama Art University’s product design department in art and 3D design in 1980. After working for Seiko-Epson in 1989, he moved to U.S. and joined American design company IDEO. In 1996, he helped set up ‘IDEO’ in japan. In 2003 he established Naoto Fukasawa Design. While doing design consulting for major companies in Japan, he worked for furniture companies in Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia. In 2003 he also established Plusminuszero (±0) and acts as its design director. He has continued to hold workshops that are based upon his own thoughts, “Without thought.” In 2006, he founded Super Normal with Jasper Morrison. He is a lecturer in the product design department Musashino Art University and Tama Art University in Tokyo.

[ naoto fukasawa design ] [ plusminuszero ] [ muji ] [ 21_21 design sight ] [ luminaire ]

Kuubo table for vitra. Naoto fukasawa.

Feb 24, 2011

naoto fukasawa has designed a new table for vitra.

Executed with Fukaswa’s usual cool precision, it is called Kuubo. As Vitra notes, it “exudes purist elegance.” Its theme is hidden storage. One image shows a couple of dozen lemons tucked beneath one of its work surfaces. Are we to read a lemon into lemonade joke into this? It is also in keeping with the new trend in furniture–the “common table” that can be used for meetings or as a shared surface combining in effect many cubicles. “Kuubo lends itself to many different kinds of work processes – particularly where emphasis is placed on a successful joint team effort and where a culture of open communication is encouraged,” says Vitra’s prospectus. “Kuubo is well suited as a central team table in such an environment, serving many purposes as it can be easily adapted within seconds for different situations and uses.”
designer: naoto fukasawa
producer: vitra

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Twelve watch. Naoto fukasawa.

Feb 10, 2011



Driven by the desire to simplify the face of a watch without making it unreadable, designer Naoto Fukasawa created the Twelve Watch for Issey Miyake. The face itself exhibits pristine minimalism while the case is asked to indicate the hour with twelve angles.

Various configurations available.

designer: naoto fukasawa
producer: issey miyake
material: mineral crystal, leather, and stainless steel
period: 2007

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