shuwa tei / intentionallies interview

shuwa tei© designboom

we met shuwa tei in milan on april 14, 2005.

what is the best moment of the day? the early morning, when there is a free flow of ideas.

what kind of music do you listen to at the moment?

music is very inspiring for me.I listen to music the whole day, I have loads of records at home and in the office,many kinds of music.

telephone for amada, 2005,a new ‘texture’ made of natural walnut, leather and acrylic,with original arrival melodies 

do you listen to the radio?

no. not really.

what books do you have on your bedside table?

I fall asleep very quickly.

dynabook CX1 by realfleet for toshiba, 2004among the things that have changed from the original toshiba CX1 are three different colors of keyboard keys: chocolate brown, off white and caramel. intended to go well with the tan colored palm rest, that resembles leather. the japanese kana have been erased from the key tops and only english characters appear on the keys. the font used on the key tops has been redesigned. plus a mouse and leathercase. 

where do you get news from? newspapers?

via internet mostly.

do you read architecture and design magazines?

yes.

do you notice how women dress?

do you have any preferences?I like quite ‘usual’ dresses, nothing particularly noticeable,basic and simple cuts, but I see the quality in details.

chair for ubushina, 2004the leg of the chair is made using the potter’s wheel technique and shows the high quality of craftsmen skills. 

what kind of clothes do you avoid wearing?

a tie. I cannot imagine any creative person wearing a tie (laughs and strangles himsel).

do you have any pets?

no.

table for ubushina, 2004 carved woodenCarved base plus lacquer 

when you were a child,

did you want to become a designer?

yes, an architect first, and then a designer.my father is an architect.

where do you work on your designs and projects?

at the office, and when traveling I bring my laptop in airplanes and trains.

describe your style, like a good friend of yours

would describe it.

well, … details. a high standard of technology and japanese own notion of beauty. I’m very interested in the aspect of a fusion between this japanese tradition and the contemporary culture of the high tech world.

asada residence, cube shaped house in kobe, 2004front side and back side

what is the meaning of ‘intentionallies’?

1 (adj) unknown, unseen, untouched etc.;2 (adj) smooth but edgy / contemporary / everchanging;3 (v) (used as a slang ) to create something intentionally.

who would you like to design something for?

not easy to answer to ‘who’ I prefer ‘what’ -there is so much to do …, maybe a museum.

will you work for some european company soon?

I would like to, but I fear a cultural barrier working outside of japan. people who do not speak the same language have often a very hard time communicating.I do not feel very comfortable when I have to explain my cultural intents and forms unfortunately do not function autonomously.

interiors of the clasca hotel, 2003tokyo’s first boutique hotel

do you discuss or exchange ideas with other architects?

I do a lot of teamwork and from time to time I meet other professionals and we exchange ideas. I don’t have much timefor visiting many cultural events, but it is quite common for me to be in touch with the creative scene.

can you describe an evolution in your work from your

first projects to the present day?

in the beginning I was completely driven by ‘how to turn into formmy own ideas’, now it is more a reaction against something which exists and I don’t like- a sort of positive transformation.

you mainly design for a high-end consumer?

my design intent is acting against a standard for producing products. there is an image of a standard purchaser in the minds of creators. but there are tens of thousands of different purchasers.when we say thousands or ten thousand, all the sharp edges disappear and a round form seems to appear.do we all want round things?this is a new challege to the new ability of the electric home appliances.many of my projects for ‘amadana’ are definitely for a high-end target.(note: amadana products are currently available only on the japanesemarket, see the first european presentation in milan,april 2005 ).

electric microwave oven, grill and rice cooker for atehaca, 2002

it seems that intentionallies avoid things looking ‘designed’.

what is your methodology?

we work without any framework. what? why? who? where? when? how? each moment we go back to these keywords to seek for the best possible solution / method.

what project has given you the most satisfaction?

the first time I did ‘product design’ was developing kitchen appliances for toshiba, a line called ‘atehaca’ (old japanese word) which means means ‘nobel’ or ‘elegant’ (literally ‘that one’s personality, the appearance and attitude is elegantly beautiful’).in the field of interior design there is the ‘hotel claska’.

is there any designer and/or architect from the past,

you appreciate a lot?

no, no tutor, and no idol!of course I like le corbusier, mies van der rohe, a lot of the scandinavians …

intentionallies website by yugo nakamurait’s a portfolio site with a super linear construction, a flexible interface with card metaphoring.

and those still active

– are there any particular ones you appreciate?

many, jean nouvel, toyo ito, kazujo sejima…

any advice for the young ?

first you need to have a vision and then focus on how to solve problems.

what are you afraid of regarding the future ?

we have experienced the prosperity.there is the excessively convenient life style with overplus ofgoods around. I prefer to focus on a positive vision, and less products maybe can help to keep an entirely positive atmosphere.for example, japanese grandmothers tell children not to throw or waste things.this idea is not in the western thoughts. I would like to make products which people can take care of.