KA | designed by Kengo Kuma
The concept of the KA sofa originated from a wordplay, kaku-kaku, denoting “angular” in Japanese. The flat seat extends like a horizon, and the backrest in the shape of a triangular prism runs horizontally like a range of mountains, exuding a presence that blends in with a natural landscape.
We also developed an original textile inspired by moss. We gathered several types of real moss and scanned their surface with a 3D scanner. The scanned data was then processed to knit a three-dimensional, cylindrical textile using the Wholegarment knitting technology. This was an endeavor to use a Japanese motif as a starting point to create a new texture, which matches or even surpasses Japanese textiles in their exquisite visual qualities and richness of texture. The textile is difficult to cut straight with an automatic cutting machine due to its wavy texture, so the entire cutting process is done by hand. Furthermore, the sofa’s linear silhouette made upholstering significantly challenging to the craftspeople―therefore, it is the fruit of artisanal expertise.
Kengo Kuma
Kengo Kuma was born in 1954. He established Kengo Kuma & Associates in 1990. After teaching at Keio University and the University of Tokyo, he now serves as University Professor and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo. He has various ongoing projects in over thirty counties. He proposes architecture that opens up new relationships between nature, technology, and human beings.
Valserliege | designed by Peter Zumthor
Chaise longue was designed for a spa complex in the Swiss valley of Vals, Therme Vals, built of stacked layers of local stone. The original chair profile is made of laminated wood, arranged at equal interval, softly curved to fit the human body, and lifted into the air by slender metal legs.
To produce this chair in Japan, we decided to make the wooden frame using the traditional steam bending technique instead of the original laminated wood. In a process practiced for a hundred years, the wood is steamed at a high temperature and then bent into a metal mold. This technique does not waste any wood, which is essential even more in modern society.
The wood is taken out of a hot kiln and bent along its grain within five minutes before it quickly hardens. It could only be done by skilled artisans working together to fit the wood into the metal mold. Using solid wood makes the product durable to be cherished for a long time.
Peter Zumthor
Peter Zumthor was born in 1943, as the son of a cabinet maker in Basel, Switzerland. After finishing his carpentry apprenticeship from 1958 to 1962, he proceeded to study design at Pratt Institute in New York from 1963 to 1967. In 1967, he became an architect for the Department for the Preservation of Monuments in Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. In 1979, he established his design studio based in Haldenstein, Switzerland, where he has been practicing architecture ever since.
Time and Style released the world’s first furniture collection by Peter Zumthor “Peter Zumthor collection” in 2022.
Drop Paper Lamp | designed by Claesson Koivisto Rune
K5 Tokyo is a hotel whose interior design was conceived and designed by Claesson Koivisto Rune, a design group based in Stockholm, Sweden. This unique facility includes hotel accommodation, a restaurant, a wine bar, and a coffee shop, all housed in a newly renovated historic building in Tokyo, Japan. We designed and produced a collection of lighting with different sizes, exclusively for K5 Tokyo. In particular, the idea of a large 120 cm-diameter lantern posed a challenge to the craftspeople, completed after repeated prototyping.
The Drop Paper Lamp is made with the techniques of Suifu lantern making in Ibaraki Prefecture, an area known for the production of durable and sturdy paper lanterns. To form a delicately curved water droplet shape, the structure was created using strips of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin wrapped in washi paper. For the lantern’s shade, we chose Echizen washi paper, a traditional paper with a history of about 1,500 years and characterized by its warm color and durability due to the long and thick Japanese mulberry fiber used as the raw material. It is generally used in large sheets that can be applied seamlessly to large fittings such as fusuma (sliding doors) and byobu (folding screens).
Claesson Koivisto Rune
Claesson Koivisto Rune is a Swedish design group formed in 1995 by Mårten Claesson, Eero Koivisto, and Ola Rune. Their projects involve architecture, furniture, and commodities such as tableware, and textiles, and their creative designs are highly acclaimed in the international design community. They have been active in Japan as well, producing numerous projects.
The group has shared design philosophies with Time & Style, nurtured through 20 years of mutual communication and the members’ respect for Japan.
Diamond back chair | designed by DRILL DESIGN
A design studio with more than a decade-long experience in research of the Windsor chair, DRILL DESIGN has developed this iconic chair into an elegant lounge chair brimming with a strong presence. By merging the dichotomies of the classic/the modern and calmness/tension, the studio presented a new image of the Windsor chair.
The eight spokes on the backrest are constructed to gently embrace and support the back and waist of the user for a comfortable seating experience. The chair is characterized by the backrest with spokes interlaced into a diamond-shaped pattern, from which its name is derived. The seats of traditional Windsor chairs, made of solid wood, tend to warp over time, but the Diamond back chair adopts a frame structure and fabric upholstering for the seat to prevent warping. Furthermore, it offers comfort and reduced fatigue when sitting for a long period of time, while its lightweight design enhances mobility.
The frame that flows seamlessly from the back to the armrests is called a continuous arm, which is one of the forms of the Windsor chairs. We recreated the sleek arm from solid wood using Japan’s sophisticated bentwood technology.
DRILL DESIGN
DRILL DESIGN is a design studio founded by Yusuke Hayashi and Yoko Yasunishi in 2001. In addition to product design, the studio provides design solutions and directions with a transdisciplinary approach that draws from space design, graphic design, and material design. The studio has provided designs for domestic and international partner companies, including MUJI, Camper, and CRASSEVIG, and exhibited its works in Tokyo, Singapore, Milan, Paris, and Stockholm.
The four series of chairs developed in collaboration with Time & Style bring a breath of fresh air to the Windsor chair while paying tribute to its concept and legacy.
