Vintage Toy Shop

Amazing vintage toy shop in Kyoto! I could have bought many of the lovely items but instead carefully selected one wooden brick from the box outside as a little momento.

On My Travels....

Well, I have made it back to Tokyo after an exciting week exploring the Keihanshin region of Japan. We spent most of our time in Kyoto and walked far and wide, discovering lots of great historical landmarks, experiencing traditional Japanese culture and sampling yummy local delicacies! Here are just a few snap shots from my first day in Kyoto...

Bedroom in Arles.

A visit to Tokyo National Arts Centre to see Van Gogh: The Adventure of Becoming an Artist, rekindled my appreciation for the colour and life in Van Gogh's works. My favourite is Bedroom in Arles.

Cheeky Faces...

Cute and whimsy handmade characters by Manuela Olten at Juime. I love how the curiousity in their expressions make them so charming to both adults and children alike!

House in the Clouds

Love the Van Gogh charm of these images. Beautifully imaginative and child-like dreams captured through colour, perspective and photography by Karin Nussbaumer.

Paper Painting...

Postcards I bought today for colour inspiration. These pieces by Yoshiaki Funamizu are created by delicately tearing colourful papers.

Capsule Apartments

Today, after lots of searching, I finally found the Nakagin Capsule Apartments in Tokyo! Hurrah! These were designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa in the 1970s, who also designed the Tokyo National Arts Centre, from my previous post. Each capsule measures 2.5 x 2.5 x 4 metres and can be detached separately or interconnected to make rooms larger. These apartments were the first example of capsule architecture to be built and used. They are a great source of inspiration for my new project, so pleased I have seen them in person!

So Solid yet So Transparent

I have been continuing with my research into Japanese living and came across these photographs by Iwan Baan. This house is amazing! The large windows and interconnecting nature of the interior makes the solid structure appear so light and airy, challenging the concepts of volume, space and light! I'm not sure how it would work to live in, but I would definitely like to pay a visit! House H was designed by Tokyo based architect Sou Fujimoto. I love how his designs push the limits of housing and space.

Wood and Wool Stool

These lovely products are created by combining some of my most favourite things together. The rawness of wood, a handmade touch and playful use of colour make up these idyllic pieces by Wood and Wool Stool. Thanks to Ingrid for giving me permission to share these lovely images. You can take a peek at her blog right here.

Hirameki Design x Finland

Last night, after being out all day in the wind and rain, we headed to the Living Design Centre Ozone in Shinjuku with sodden feet, feeling a little down hearted and pretty cold. But what was there, changed my mood instantly. Hirameki Design x Finland is one of the first times Finnish design has been showcased to a Japanese audience and it was a delight to see a combination of fashion, furniture, product and textiles on display all in one place. The last few weeks I have been thinking about the similarities between Japanese and Scandanavian/Nordic design so this exhibition gave me a good insight into the common cultures between Finland and Japan. Looking around the showroom was great and I loved pretty much everything but the fashion show was definitely the highlight. One of my favourite designers was Satu Maaranen. Her pieces skillfully combined texture and different fabrics with playful approach to proportion and scale. It was really good to see such a focus on the textile detail in a fashion context. More news to come about this event!

Ps. Ok, so turns out that 'bit of wind and rain' was Typhoon Chaba making its way across Tokyo.