Interjúk – Studio Kaz

I graduated from Kyushu Institute of Design in 1988, majoring in product design. I then spent five years as an in-house designer, designing various residential components, including entrance doors, interior doors, windows, built-in kitchen systems, and modular bathrooms. In 1993, I worked at a design firm, where I designed 15 bespoke kitchens and one residential home. I then founded STUDIO KAZ in 1994.

I mainly work in interior design and bespoke kitchen design. To me, interior design is a way of self-expression and a way of connecting with society. Projecting my own ideas into space and sharing my feelings and philosophy with others is what motivates me.

At first, I wanted to work in music. When I was 17, I saw the design of the Renault Super 5, designed by Marcello Gandini, and became interested in design for the first time. After that, I started to look at various designs and decided that I wanted to design furniture and interiors.

I usually work on interior design for living spaces, especially bespoke kitchens. I always try to create designs that are close to the people who will use them. I don't think that will change in the future.

I think it's important to be interested in everything and observe things from a broad perspective.

A good designer is someone who can create beautiful and perfect designs. A great designer is someone who creates designs that change values and have some kind of influence on other designers.

There are always new discoveries to be made.

Allowing space for users to freely interact with it.

Not being consumed by the times.

Always changing and running alongside the times.

Providing a rich experience for users.

Creating a new culture.

I believe that great design is not something you choose because it's beautiful, but because it's honest. I also believe that great design creates new culture. In other words, investing in great design is also investing in the future.

I would like to design a grave for myself and my wife.

I've always wanted to have a small house by the sea where I could relax with my wife, but that hasn't happened yet.

Observational skills and a spirit of inquiry

Ettore Sottsass

Shiro Kuramata

Aldo Rossi

George Sowden

The Wassily Chair, designed by Marcel Breuer, strikes a perfect balance between innovative design and aesthetic sense, while also being highly practical and comfortable.

This is a kitchen I designed in 2021 called "Ro-gu." All of the components are made from Japanese cypress. It uses an "external L-shape" layout that I came up with, and is a square measuring 150cm on each side. Although it is very compact, it can be used in the same way as a larger kitchen, and even if two people use it at the same time, it won't get in the way and they can cook while looking at each other's faces. In 2023, I also created a kitchen called "kitchen EO" with the same shape but made entirely of stainless steel. This was created by small factories in Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture, bringing together the expertise of each factory. In 2024, we exhibited "Ro-gu" and "kitchen EO" side by side.

Be true to your core, don't be afraid of change, and always take on challenges.

Music-related work or chef or doctor

Design is a conduct and experience that reconstructs relationships with society and the local community. Designed products and spaces are the result of this.

That's my wife

I don't think of myself as a great designer. However, I believe that the reason I am here today doing this interview is entirely thanks to the support of the people around me. I listened to what they had to say, trusted their skills, and worked with them to create objects and spaces. The award-winning "THE CHAKAI" would not have been possible without Tokumoto from Kyoto Prefecture, who developed the smart textile and interactive system used in the fabric, and Kawase and Chikahiro of swag, who produced the video.

I have designed over 1,000 kitchens over the course of more than 30 years, but in Japan, kitchens are often seen as "equipment," "function," and "behind-the-scenes," and are the most neglected aspect of architecture. However, I believe that the kitchen is the center of communication between family and friends, and must be designed with individuality in mind.

Most of my work is for clients, so I don't like to call it "work," but I need to communicate my philosophy through various media. I always keep in mind that by doing each job carefully and sincerely, the work itself will become my portfolio.

We currently have over 20 projects underway. They vary in scale, content, and client requests, including renovations, homes, exhibition facilities with attached cafes, exhibitions, bespoke kitchens, and product design. I'm looking forward to each one.

Although it is not my goal as a designer, I would like to see the Japanese kitchen industry break away from its current closed-off situation and become more free and user-oriented.

I don't consider myself a designer that people can respect, and I certainly don't want people to have excessive expectations of me. I never try to surprise people, and for each project I try to face the problems and challenges at hand with sincerity and honesty. By doing so, I believe I can meet my client's requests 120%.

There are many social issues around us. Environmental issues, in particular, are a fact that cannot be ignored. There are many challenges, such as global warming, marine debris, sustainability, and responses to conflicts. I believe that what we can do in these circumstances is very small and fleeting. This is why I believe that we must carry out each and every task sincerely and honestly. I want to confront various issues without resisting society or the environment, but with a strong will.

It's a revolution in Japan's kitchen market. It's an exaggeration, but... In Japan, 90% of homes use the same packaged kitchen. I think that's an extremely abnormal sight. A kitchen is a space and piece of furniture that must be highly individualized to suit each individual's lifestyle. Of course, there are people who aren't interested in cooking, so I'm not saying that all kitchens need to be bespoke, but I would like to see the proportion of bespoke kitchens increase even a little. To achieve this, a change in user awareness is necessary, but even before that, I believe there needs to be a change in awareness not only on the supply side, kitchen manufacturers, but also on the construction side, such as builders and home builders.

I can't mention his name, but I once designed a kitchen for the villa of a famous Japanese artist. During that project, he taught me the importance of rigor in work and strictness in detail. There were times along the way when he criticized my work to the point that I nearly gave up, but I persisted and in the end, he was satisfied with the project. Since then, I have met with him from time to time to receive his advice, and we have maintained a good relationship. This project was extremely satisfying in the sense that it determined the attitude I have taken towards my work since then, and I have been able to maintain it.

I believe that going forward, both products and spaces will need to possess distinctive individuality. Thanks to technologies such as 3D printers, it is now possible to produce a wide variety of products in small quantities, and the days when everyone used the same mass-produced items are already over. Meanwhile, AI technology is advancing at an incredible pace. However, I believe our lives are an area that cannot even be compensated for by AI or patterned UI. While AI and UI collect, organize, and average information, in human life we should place emphasis on narrative, take a bespoke approach, and aim for more individual products and spaces. I believe that this is what will be necessary for interior design in the future. Designers who can do this will be the ones who survive. I hope to be one of them.

Narrative and Bespoke

It depends on the project. I have not yet been involved in a large-scale architectural project, so the projects I am usually involved in can last as little as six months or as long as two to three years.

This also varies depending on the content of the project. In the case of a home renovation, we start by understanding the current situation, extracting the problems, and then understanding the client's requests. In the case of product design, we organize the current market, trends, and the flow of the times, and predict the market of the future.

Be honest.

Be ambitious.

Be innovative.

01.Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

デザインとは、何かを作るときの所作を指すものであり、その結果「デザインされたもの」が生まれます。そこにはトレンドとリンクする部分はないでしょう。つまりデザインとトレンドは無関係であると言えます。しかし、デザインという行為は、時代や社会問題などを背景としており、その結果の「デザインされたもの」はトレンドとなり得る可能性はあると思います。

Design refers to the conduct of creating something, and the result is a "designed thing." There is no link to trends. In other words, it can be said that design and trends are unrelated. However, the conduct of design is based on the times and social issues, and I think that the resulting "designed thing" has the potential to become a trend.

I believe that by utilizing technology such as AI, we can dramatically increase the speed of imagination and verification. However, it will never replace the designer's hands; rather, it will be a tool that enables us to reach areas that were previously unreachable, and it will serve as an opportunity to redefine what design is. The award-winning "THE CHAKAI" uses technology to redefine the relationship between space and people. By quantifying the uncalculatable phenomenon of air movement, we were able to create a new, unpredictable experience.

I use a MacBook for equipment. The software I use is Vectorworks, Photoshop, and Illustrator.

Colors control emotions. Materials control time, experiences, and physicality. Ambient is comprehensive, controlling consciousness and emotions, giving a story to a space, and affecting memory.

"Why is this atmosphere being created?" "What is this space trying to say to whom?" When people approach a design with these kinds of "questions that allow them to notice the atmosphere," it becomes more than just a spatial composition; it becomes a medium for empathy and dialogue.

I think we look at the scenes and backgrounds in which it is used and imagine the process by which that design was born. We may also be searching for the reason behind its beauty, but when we see something truly beautifully designed, we may just stand there, gazing at it without any thought.

My wife is my best design partner and we often collaborate on designs. The award-winning "THE CHAKAI" was also designed in collaboration with her.

When I was working for a company, I had the opportunity to work on several projects with famous external designers. Perhaps it was because I was young at the time, but working with them was very stimulating, and their comments and ideas still inspire me today.

Koda Aya's "Kitchen Sounds." This short piece was written in 1956, and the title "Kitchen Sounds" refers to the delicate, rhythmic sounds of kitchen work: chopping vegetables, bubbling in a pot, washing rice, etc. These sounds are like quiet music that determine the atmosphere of the home. A husband who is sick and bedridden is sensitive to changes in the sounds his wife makes while working in the kitchen, and is able to tell from these changes in sound that his own illness is progressing. Koda Aya depicts the kitchen not simply as a place to cook, but as a space filled with discipline, tradition, and deeply rooted family wisdom.

I didn't set out to become a "master," and I still don't think I've become one. I learned my skills not at a desk in an office, but through conversations with craftsmen on dusty job sites and in factories. They were born from an accumulation of small things like that. That's why it's taken so many years. It's not just the job site, but also things I encounter by chance in places I visit, like the forest silhouette cast by sunlight filtering through the trees, the worn floor of an old church where many people must have walked, or leftover materials discarded in the corner of the factory. It's a cycle of observing various things and experiences, trying things, failing, and thinking again. And this process is still ongoing. That means my learning isn't over yet.

I enjoy talking with young, inexperienced designers, or aspiring designers. They innocently propose designs that I unconsciously reject based on my own experiences. I need to carefully explain why I can't do that suggestion. Is it a matter of technology, money, or time? Some of these problems can be solved by changing your approach, which can lead to new details and design ideas. These ideas have the potential to give birth to new designs. So by talking to them, I am always able to keep my thinking fresh and young.

It's certainly an honor to receive awards and recognition, and I'm grateful that it means my work has reached someone. However, that's not the reason I continue designing. The truly happiest moments are when the spaces, kitchens, and objects I've designed become so integrated that they no longer even seem to be "designed." I feel the deepest joy when I feel as if the space has become one with the client, as if it had always been there. I don't particularly think about being "famous." Rather, I believe that my work should speak for itself, rather than my name. The more attention I receive, the more my attitude is questioned. Being honest, remaining curious, and being faithful to my work. These are my unchanging core values.

My favorite color is ink black. It has the tolerance to accept a variety of colors and the greatness of showing different expressions depending on the light. My favorite places are places where you can't see people but you can feel their presence. For example, small alleys in the city, or factories after work hours. My favorite food is pasta. My favorite season is autumn. The atmosphere after the harsh summer is over, filled with transience, melancholy, and gentleness. The shadows that begin to grow a little in the sunlight that is slightly lower in the sky. My favorite things are things that show careful handiwork. Furniture, tools, or materials don't matter. Whether it's wood, metal, or stone, I love the moment when the skill of treating the materials with care is added. My favorite brand is Yohji Yamamoto. I feel like I can always maintain a challenging spirit there.

For some reason, I often design homes for women my age who live alone, and this is the story of one of those women. I spent over a year designing a space where she would live alone. Finally, I completed a plan that satisfied her, and construction began. Then, just before construction was to be completed, she showed up on site and said, "I'm getting married," not having thought about where her future husband would live. When I asked her, "What are you going to do?" she replied, "It's not a problem, he hardly has any luggage." In fact, I have another project where a similar marriage was decided midway through construction. Of course, marriage is a happy occasion and something to be celebrated. Perhaps I am a designer who brings happiness !! lol.

The moment I taste a delicious wine at the end of the day, I know that what I did that day was right. Also, when I manage to cook my favorite pasta deliciously, I feel a happiness that is hard to replace. " Tagliatelle di alghe al peperoncino yuzu" is my specialty dish.

Not at all. I remember saying I wanted to be a doctor when I was a little child.

1000 years from now... perhaps humanity will no longer exist. Even if we survive, I think we will have completely different values than we do now. We will no longer be dependent on material things. I think we will value non-material things such as consciousness and memory more. Naturally, the role of the material designer will be transferred to AI, and designers with the "empathy" to determine what to keep and what to eliminate will be required.

Most Japanese kitchens are not cool at all, but I would like people to know that there are a few designers who can design cool kitchens.

Until high school, I wanted to go into the music industry, but at the age of 18, I came into contact with car design (Renault 5) and realized I wanted to become a designer. After studying design at university, I worked as an in-house designer for a housing parts manufacturer for five years and at a bespoke kitchen office for one year, before founding STUDIO KAZ in 1994.

STUDIO KAZ Co., Ltd. is a design unit established in 1994 by Coichi Wada and Junco Wada. Coichi is mainly in charge of interior design, kitchen design, furniture design, and product design, while Junco is mainly in charge of graphic design. We are good at residential interior design, and are one of the leading designers in Japan, especially in bespoke design. As a result, we are trusted by our fellow companies and are involved in many events and showroom productions. In addition, in order to expand the market for bespoke kitchens, which is still small in Japan, we provide many consulting and lectures, and also focus on training young people at vocational schools. In graphic design, we mainly focus on printed matter, but we do not limit ourselves to simple page design, but also like to propose three-dimensional compositions such as paper quality, shape, folding methods, and binding methods.

To me, design is discovery, experience, and inspiration. There are things and spaces that we find beautiful, and they exist for as many people as there are people. I think that design is what lies between us and those beautiful things and spaces, or the process behind it. The CHAKAI, for which I received the award, was not a design of something new, but rather provided an opportunity to discover something beautiful through the experience of the tea ceremony.

I love designing residential spaces and bespoke kitchens to be installed in them. I still never get bored of the process of reading the client's needs through conversation and turning them into concrete forms such as spaces and kitchens, even though I have been involved in over 1,000 kitchens to date.

As for designs by other people, the one that inspired me to become a designer was the Renault 5. Designed by Marcello Gandini, the car's form, function, and driver's behavior are all perfectly designed.

We like all my designs, but We especially like "Irifune studio," which is also our office. We designed it as a living space, but WeI took advantage of the lack of sunlight and focused on how to create a nighttime atmosphere. At that time, we used black as the theme, and spent a long time looking for a lot of black, so there is a lot of black here.

During my time as an in-house designer, I designed entrance doors, interior doors, custom-made kitchens, etc. Since establishing STUDIO KAZ, I have mainly worked on bespoke kitchens and space designs for clients, but the first time I designed for a company was a custom-made kitchen for a kitchen manufacturer.

I don't have any likes or dislikes when it comes to materials. I'm always thinking about how to bring out the most beautiful expression of the material itself. Platforms and technology are just a means to that end.

The moment you eat delicious pasta.

Yes, shure, I try to look at things from as many different angles as possible. Materials, colors, luster, light, sound, temperature, humidity, size, hardness, texture, proportion, past, present, future... all of these are design elements and materials for me.

Being a father, a mother, a friend, a lover, a husband, a wife,

I feel joy in being able to share the pain of childbirth and the excitement of completing a project.

The best!! Feels so good!!

Reading comprehension, observation skills, arrangement skills, communication skills

Whether or not a design inspires us deep emotion

Designers are not special. They are part of society and must always be aware of this. Design should not suppress the environment/nature, and should not think that it is possible to do so.

The last exhibition (the CHAKAI) was held in October 2024. The next one will be a kitchen exhibition in September 2025.

I get inspiration from many things: a sliver of light filtering through a tiny slit, a tree stump, the smell of a deliciously brewed cappuccino, or a single guitar note played in the middle of intense music.

The last exhibition (the CHAKAI) was held in October 2024. The next one, a kitchen exhibition, is scheduled to be held in September 2025.

I live in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo has its own unique culture, but also has the ability to come into contact with cultures from all over the world. This always inspires us. However, I often feel that Japan, and especially Tokyo, is always seeking new things too much, and that the good old Japanese culture is becoming diluted.

design consulting, lectures, design support, design outsourcing, and education.

We start with thorough interviews and research. Then we just follow the image that emerges.

1. "Fuumi Zekka Echizen" knife, made in Echizen, Fukui Prefecture, Japan, using the same manufacturing method as Japanese swords.

2. "HOW HIGH THE MOON" sofa designed by Shiro Kuramata.

3. "WASSILY CHAIR" chair designed by Marcel Breuer.

4. "PP701" chair designed by Hans Wegner.

5. "Messenger bag" designed by my friend.

I want you to enjoy everything seriously.

positives is that you can always have a new experience.

I can't think of any negatives.

Communication skills

Bespoke kitchens in the homes of famous Japanese painters.

Mostly ordinary people

I'm hoping to release a collection of my work early next year.

We work on the design while checking the details together.

Tango Chirimen is a silk fabric made in the Tango region of Kyoto Prefecture. Its unique feature is the unique unevenness on the surface of the fabric, known as "shibo," which gives it the characteristic of being flexible and wrinkle-resistant. It is mainly used as a fabric for kimonos, and is also suitable for dyeing techniques such as Yuzen dyeing. In addition, the fabric used this time is extremely thin, so it responds instantly to even the slightest air movement.Taking these characteristics into consideration, we replaced the dyeing technique with modern projection mapping to express movement.

Rush grass used this time was grown at my father's parents' house. When I visited the tatami mat factory at my parents' house two years ago, I saw a large amount of rush grass lying on the floor and wondered about it. I heard that it was going to be incinerated, and I was concerned about the CO2 generated by incineration, the cost of disposal, and environmental destruction. Of course, I understand that my personal activities like this have no impact on the global environment, but I thought it would be good if people could understand it a little through "The Chakai". After all, the purpose of the tea ceremony is not to drink tea, but to have a conversation through the act.

This was largely due to the efforts of the video team, Swag, and the developer of this system, Mr. Tokumoto, a Kyoto Prefecture employee. Without them, this project would not have been successful. What we can do as designers is to direct the content and image of the video. I think that this video was able to fuse a very modern system with the traditional element of tea ceremony by giving it a Japanese image but not using Japanese techniques.

The space of a teahouse is extremely spiritual, and I believe there is a lot of freedom in its shape and materials. A typical teahouse is made of wood, soil, paper, and tatami (rush grass), but as long as the spirit is correct, these could be replaced with modern materials and it would still work.At "The Chakai," we actually made tea. Cup after cup. We made tea carefully for each and every guest. We were particular about the type of tea and sweets. It was the greatest joy to hear guests say "it's delicious," and it was a truly blissful moment to see their smiles. During these 10 days, we felt like we were being entertained by the guests, even though we were the ones providing the hospitality.

I had always wanted to design a teahouse, but many ideas had already been made, and I thought it would be impossible to create something new. Then, I saw it at an exhibition held in Tokyo where Kyoto Prefecture was exhibiting, and that was the beginning of this project. I instantly thought it was an interesting technology. However, at that time I had not yet connected it to a teahouse, but I had asked to use it in some way. A few months later, when I was thinking about a teahouse again, I remembered this technology. There is already technology to project images onto fabric, but a space in which the images change interactively in sync with the flow of air and people's movements is truly connected to modern "OMOTENASHI."

Our main work is interior design and bespoke kitchen design. We always work with many collaborating companies. We asked the creative team at SWAG Co., Ltd. to create the video. They have experience in many excellent projection mapping projects in Japan.We asked the plywood flooring company, which we use for the kitchen surface materials, to make the flooring. We asked a woodworking shop that we work with on a bespoke kitchen project to make the whole project. In other words, it was completed by bringing together the advanced skills of our colleagues, who are connected to us both professionally and emotionally on a daily basis.

It's fair to say that Japanese architecture has matured thanks to the work of many excellent architects. Therefore, Japanese architecture will not change as a result of this project.On the other hand, I think that the Japanese tea ceremony is, with some exceptions, a closed society. This is not in a bad sense, but rather that traditions are properly respected and passed on to future generations. Unfortunately, we are not tea ceremony professionals. Perhaps this is why we have been able to be so free. We had a professor from the Omotesenke school look at "THE CHAKAI," and he said, "This is fine. There is meaning in this free thinking."

I believe that the tea ceremony is an extremely spiritual act. That is why the tea room needs to be segmented from the space outside the tea room.In Japan, there is a word called "awai." In tea ceremony, this word refers to the space between inside and outside, between the guest and the host, and the time spent together in the space of the tea room. In this "awai," emotions change, are nurtured, and are cherished in our culture. The Tango Chirimen that permeates the footage in this video truly symbolizes this "awai."

When I first saw this patented technology, I didn't think it was very good. After that, we did a projection experiment before producing the video, and I think that was the first time that all the members were able to confirm the direction of this project. After that, the work was easy. While the video team was working, I arranged the location of the projector, the distance between the projector and the fabric, the position of the sensor and the wiring of the system, and the relationship with the exhibition venue, one by one.

That's right. In Japan, we still tend to focus on designed objects. I think design is the act itself. As a result, designed spaces and objects are created, but at the same time, experiences are created. As digital expression advances, physical objects may no longer be important. What is needed at that time is an "experience," and I believe that this is design.