DESIGN /
INTERIOR
January 13, 2015
ICHIRO | "Over the Rainbow / Design Beyond Color" Exhibition
ICHIRO | Ichiro
ICHIRO 2014 NEW COLLECTION at BAtoMA information
“OVER THE RAINBOW / Design Beyond Color” Exhibition
In 2012, Ichiro, aiming to create “tools for living = Ichiro’s furniture,” launched its first furniture piece, the “Kororo Desk,” designed by Torafu Architects. This desk was conceived as a piece of furniture that allows one to be alone. Since then, based on the concept visualized with Schemata Architects, Ichiro has been exploring beyond its expertise in decorative panels and colors, engaging in discussions with various architects and designers to research new materials and production methods.Tsune NagasakaNew furniture, developed through this research, will be unveiled at the “BAtoMA information” exhibition starting October 31st (Friday).
Text by KAJII Makoto (OPENERS)
Proposing Furniture to Enrich User Activity
Ichiro’s furniture creation began with a focus on the freedom of furniture to form spaces within spaces, driven by a desire to rethink “furniture” as a tool for freely editing one’s life.
The ICHIRO 2014 NEW COLLECTION “OVER THE RAINBOW / Design Beyond Color,” to be presented at the BAtoMA information exhibition, will feature nine new products, including prototypes. Among them are “SHIBARI,” produced by Ichiro and designed by Tsune Nagasaka (Schemata Architects) for the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam, which was first shown at Milan Salone; DRILL DESIGN’s display bookshelf “TOTE”; Yota Kakuda’s “Glass bead holder”; and the Kororo stool (Minä Perhonen collaboration) using new textiles from Minä Perhonen. The website will also share the diverse stories behind each product’s creation and encounters.
New Furniture Infused with Designers' Vision
The “Kororo Stool” by Torafu Architects will be sold with a version using Minä Perhonen’s interior fabric “dop” in the “Tambourine” pattern. This fabric is a double-faced moleskin, where the reverse side reveals a different color as the front wears away. The intention, conceived by Minä Perhonen’s Akira Minagawa and Torafu Architects’ Koichi Suzuno, was to allow enjoyment of the passage of time as new colors emerge when the fabric wears down. Five colors were selected.
The stool “SHIBARI,” designed by Tsune Nagasaka of Schemata Architects, was originally created for the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam. This piece, first presented at Milan Salone in 2014, will now be released for sale. The stool’s powerful concept—simply wrapping urethane foam, binding it with string, and applying a rubber coating—makes one eager to test its comfort.
The “Glass bead holder” by product designer Yota Kakuda uses the weight of glass beads to hold items. The inspiration came from a drying mechanism for letterpress prints that Kakuda observed in a print shop during his studies at the Royal College of Art. The Glass bead holder, usable as both a paper and towel holder, is scheduled for release in late November.
Participating Designers
Torafu Architects, Schemata Architects, Yota Kakuda, DRILL DESIGN, Teppei Nomoto, Design Soil (Kota Iwamoto), Akira Yamaya, TAKT PROJECT, ENERGY MEET (in no particular order)
Venue Styling | Fumiko Sakuma
ICHIRO 2014 NEW COLLECTION
“OVER THE RAINBOW / Design Beyond Color”
Dates | October 31st (Friday) – November 3rd (Monday, Holiday)
Hours | 11:00 – 19:00 (Until 17:00 on November 3rd)
Venue | BAtoMA information
Omotesando Hills Space O
4-12-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, B3F Main Building
BAtoMA Admission Fee | Day Pass ¥1,000 / Free Pass ¥1,500
http://www.batoma.com/information/
Ichiro
http://www.ichirodesign.jp/shop/