The "Renaissance of Color" Born from Universal Global Design and Japanese Aesthetics

Developed and launched in Switzerland in the 1960s, "USM Modular Furniture" is custom-made modular furniture. It is composed of modular parts consisting of three basic components: connecting tubes, balls, and panels, allowing for the creation of unique furniture by combining parts of different sizes and colors.
Its functionality and beauty have been adopted worldwide, including by the International Basketball Federation and the Musée d'Orsay, and it is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.


The only direct store in Japan is the "USM Modular Furniture Showroom" in Marunouchi, Tokyo. This year, celebrating the 5th anniversary of the store's opening, the anniversary program "USM Color Renaissance" is being held.
The direction is handled by "Maruwakaya," which is highly acclaimed for its supervision of various works, incorporating the beauty of Japanese traditional culture into contemporary products. Following spring and summer, they are collaborating with "Someori Yoshioka" again.



They are creating special visual imagery and also handling the in-store displays, exploring new designs through the "colors" of each season.

The theme for Autumn 2014 is "The changing leaves and a serene tension." A traditional Japanese house, still existing in the northern Kanto region, was chosen as the location for the image visual shoot.




Believing that universal beauty lies within the atmosphere meticulously repaired, restored, and reconstructed over time, they have arranged "USM Modular Furniture" and fabrics dyed in red and yellow, reminiscent of fruits, by "Someori Yoshioka" within the frame, as if harmonizing with the time and breath the house has accumulated. Incidentally, casually placed on top of the tansu is a piece from the collection of Masamitsu Saito, a renowned researcher of bamboo basketry from the Edo period to the present day.




In the ancient house, which exudes an atmosphere of tranquility and a pleasant tension, they aim for a new realm of beauty.



From August 30th, furniture in the same color palette and "Someori Yoshioka" scarves will be displayed at the USM Modular Furniture Showroom in Marunouchi, Tokyo. You can actually experience "Color Renaissance," where the universal and functional aesthetics born in Switzerland resonate with the subtle nuances of Japanese autumn.

"Colors exist infinitely around us. Although we rarely notice them day by day, their presence undoubtedly communicates much to us and enriches our lives," says Hiroyuki Maruwaka, representative of Maruwakaya. The signs of autumn, quietly yet surely arriving. This "renaissance of color," born from the guidance of its beauty, may also bring out the hidden beauty in our daily lives.





USM Color Renaissance

Period | September - (Autumn), December - (Winter) (scheduled)

Location | USM Modular Furniture Showroom

Marunouchi MY PLAZA 1F & 2F, 2-1-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Opening Hours | 10:00 - 19:00 (Weekends 11:00 - 19:00)

Closed on public holidays. Reservations required on Mondays only.

Tel. 03-5220-2221

http://www.usm.com

Maruwakaya

Based in Japan and France, Maruwakaya accurately captures the essential and absolute beauty hidden within traditional objects. Through innovative initiatives that find infinite potential in the highest levels of craftsmanship across a wide range of fields, from traditional crafts to cutting-edge industry, they offer surprise and joy to the lives of people living in the 21st century. They opened "NAKANIWA" in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris, for the exhibition and sale of beautiful Japanese goods. They have also launched an overseas project for Arita ware, which will celebrate its 400th anniversary in 2016.


www.maru-waka.com



Someori Yoshioka

About 1200 years ago in Japan, the phrase "fitting for the season" was a compliment.
People who could express the four seasons created by nature through layers of color they wore were considered cultured and stylish.
The changing colors of autumn leaves, such as "young green leaves," "early autumn leaves," "red leaves," "yellow leaves," and "falling leaves," have been delicately captured and utilized. When those leaves fall, the season of colorless mountains arrives, with low clouds hanging over the ridgelines and snow dancing.
Our work of creating colors from plants is rooted in the past, but the moment it encounters something new, it is updated and transmitted to contemporary people as a renewed aesthetic. We are delighted that it adds color to people's lives while allowing them to feel the changing seasons.


www.sachio-yoshioka.com




Masamitsu Saito

One of the world's leading collectors and researchers of bamboo baskets. He has been involved in promoting exhibitions such as the "Iizuka Rokansai Exhibition" at the Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Art in 1989 and coordinating the exhibition "The Art of Bamboo: The Lloyd Cotsen Collection" from 2003 to 2004, and continues to expand his activities today.