Takanao Todo

Specialized in Interior Design.

Takanao Todo

About Takanao Todo

Takanao Todo is an architectural designer, ceramicist, lecturer and educator for supporting dyslexia in Japanese. His major contribution in design is realization of seamless integration from object, furniture, space and to the level of operation, while applying conceptual approach enabling to share the latent narrative to wider audiences. He is challenging how Japanese tea culture can evolve outside of Japan through design also. As Takanao is the first official dyslexic Japanese, his success encourages many dyslexia in Japan, as dyslexic social awareness in Japan is not well acknowledged.

  • Winner of the A' Design Award.
  • Specialized in Interior Design.
  • Original Design.
  • Creative, Diligent and Innovative.
  • All Designs
  • Interior
Koto Tea Space Cafe

Koto Tea Space Cafe

Interior Design

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Interview with Takanao Todo

Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
My origin began when I made a letter exchange with Tadao Ando. I sent him a question, and he replied me with a book and a letter saying, "Please find your answer by yourself". This was my primal confrontation to the design thinking. Since then, I am trying to find my own answer through design.
Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
Takanao Todo Design provides various design service from architecture, ceramic to graphic design. The studio become active from 2019 onwards. It is a design studio collaborate with many expats to form more flexible formation of the team.
What kinds of works do you like designing most?
I enjoy designing hybridizing various scales from utensils, interior, facade, and operations. There are design in every scale, and they are inseparable.
What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
Something that is beyond my understanding, which makes it difficult to interpret into a form of words. Examples chairs by Shiro Kuramata has beautiful proportion, and ephemeral appearance. When I sit on his chair, there is a kind of sensation like floating, or dream-like, but words are never enough to capture this sensation.
What was the first thing you designed for a company?
Pavilion @ ECO park in Bangalore, India, is my first major project by winning the competition. It is a pavilion located in the center of the new business park complex. The structure was made of hollow steel structure with stainless cables to suspend screens. This project gives me a good courage to stand up as an independent designer.
What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
My favorite material is the ceramic. All outcomes look different, and I love the part that we cannot control it 100%, thus working with wild nature in material. I enjoy sharing design through various social network platforms. I also enjoy both cutting edge robotic technology in ceramic making to traditional firing technique. I am currently seeking for a way to combine these 2 together.
When do you feel the most creative?
There is always a moment of eureka, or god of design, when I seek for the inspiration. It comes randomly. I try not to design unless I get this moment. And I try to have various kind of activities, like walking, swimming, visiting museums, watching movie, as I do not have a control in this eureka moment.
What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
More joy, especially random people appreciate the outcome, and the best moment is when they use them in unexpected way!
What makes a design successful?
Some level of the involvement from the client in making is essential. This makes design withstand in time.
When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
In architecture, plan, then section must excite me. In ceramic, there must be a sense of rightness which avoid being boring.
From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
Longlisting design, and this derives from the involvement of the users.
How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
Digital tools, and robotics help to expand our expression, and we should be optimistic to these emerging technologies.
When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
"Post Wabi" ceramic exhibition in Japan Creative Center in Singapore 2023 January. There will be another ceramic exhibition coming in June 2024 in Bangkok with the same title.
Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
Every classic design is my inspirations. But, I also gain inspiration from other fields such as cuisine, movie, music, fashion, manga, anime, so on. Rather than relaxing, I always try to get different stimulations, which feed my ideas.
How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
I am not sure about the style, critical regionalism could be close to what I do. I love bold, simple, integrated, direct approach to the local unique context with narrative, while respecting the material as an expression. I would also like to make my design flexible, so that the users can determine how to interact with it.
Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
I am based in Bangkok. But, majority of my inspiration coming from Japan. Living in Bangkok helps to respect Japanese design legacy in an objective way. Bangkok is also a great place to actualize ideas with cheap labor and material, with many opportunities.
What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
designer can do creative interpretation of the brand would be a good desinger.
Can you talk a little about your design process?
After understanding the requirement, it needs some moment to get the right idea. Depends on a type of the project, I gather appropriate team for the project. Frequent visit to in progress work for deciding the details. After completion, making frequent visit to make sure that projects are growing with the users.
What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
- Photography by Otsuji Seiji - Tea Bowl by Lucie Rie in collaboration with Mingei Artist - Bowl by Shoji Hamada - Art work by Justine Lee with my tea bowl - My own tea bowl
Can you describe a day in your life?
Wake up around 0600am with Matcha at tatami floor Take train to the workplace, while reading books by Haruki Murakami Eating spicy lunch for stimulation. Drink Sparkling Manao for refreshment after work. 45 minutes gym and swimming pool exercise. Making simple fusion pasta for dinner. Either work, watch movie, or reading. Sleep around 2300pm
From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
Designer is a profession comes with joy. Sometimes monetizing is not easy, thus good to do multiple works.
What is your "golden rule" in design?
It must be understood to majority of people at first glance, which I call it "direct approach"
Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
most of sources are inside my head. Sketching, model making, and computer modelling helps to give some idea. Especially computer modelling with a good understanding of proportion, can be a strong tool to test ideas.
What was your most important job experience?
Working at Jean Nouvel gave me many inspiring design concept such as "indication and seduction". His firm helped me to build my thinking a lot.
What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
Small pavilions, which can examine the idea easily, and can change the way how people involve with the space. I also have a control in every detail including the afterlife of the pavilions.
What are your future plans? What is next for you?
Design something less ephemeral, such as designing small museum or a house with integration of crafts.
Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
I always work with team. Especially lighting designer, and landscape designer.
Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
The prism pavilion built for the Bangkok Design Week 2024, received a good media exposure. Client is asking to reconstruct this in Morocco.

Designer of the Day Interview with Takanao Todo

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
After graduating from Architectural Association School of Architecture in 2008, I have gained experience at France, Japan, and Singapore as an architectural designer. I have worked at Jean Nouvel, Tsuyoshi Tane, Lina Ghotmeh, Toyo Ito, Masaki Endo, DP Architects. I start to win architectural competition while staying at DP architects, which helps to build my career as a designer. Meanwhile, I began making ceramic from 2014 in Singapore under the ceramic master inheriting early studio pottery movement culture. I hold my first ceramic exhibition in 2016 collaborating with flower artist, Dan Takeda. It was a great turning point to become professional ceramicist ever since the exhibition. From 2019, I have moved to Thailand, Bangkok as an adjunct professor for teaching architecture / design at International Program in Design and Architecture (INDA), Chulalongkorn University.
How did you become a designer?
Experiences in Architectural Association School of Architecture build my foundation of architectural / design thinking. Experiences in France thought me aesthetics in architecture. Experiences in Japan and Singapore thought me a practical skills. As an architectural designer, winning the competition in Spain, Logrono, Concentrico 03, 2017, was a great turning point, the first time I was able to crystalize my design idea into a physical form. Likewise for the ceramic, it was a great moment to hold the ceramic exhibition in 2016 with Dan Takeda at Japan Creative Center was a turning point to debut myself as a ceramicist. As I am broad in design expression, I believe that act of designing is all rooting back to a form of spatial design regardless of the scale.
What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?
1. I refrain designing until I get the concept and design. It is important for me to have a free time to gain some stimulations. It is the best way for me to get the eureka moment. 2. Design must be bold and direct. I try to communicate with wider audiences through accessible design. 3. Design is something withstand in time. Every work I do, I also involve after completion for the operations and maintenance.
Which emotions do you feel when designing?
There must be a joy. Joy comes from when things are having tectonic. Tectonic as in an integration of concept, context, material, and structure.
What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?
Inspiration of design comes not necessary from same design genre. It is important for the designer to analyze the structure behind the design which can inform another shape of design. It is suggested to gain experience without prejudice to expose yourself to absorb other designs.
What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?
As I am an architectural designer, and ceramicist, I would like to develop seamless design from product to architecture integrating a sense of craft. I would like to examine my idea to design a single house with high level of freedom in design.
What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?
It is essential to test your idea in competitions. It is the best way to consolidate your idea, and learning who you are as a designer.
You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?
Good to find a team of talents or friends to collaborate with. There is always a limit for a single designer to complete something.
What is your day to day look like?
All the production should be done in the morning while my head is fresh. Especially, having a good matcha helps to make a good start of the day. Try to work less on complicated work later in a day. In a production, good music helps a lot.
How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?
Today, all the design has a great exposure across the world instantly. In a negative way, it makes design little banal. Thus, it is good NOT to follow as a way to keep a sense of uniqueness by acknowledge the trend.
How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?
The real great design has awesomeness. It derives from a communication with material, and fosters a kind of thrill. This is also supported with the fine proportion, and details.
How do you decide if your design is ready?
Moment of completion is definitely the moment, as there is always a minor corrections and adjustment during making stage. But, as the design withstand in time, there is not real sense of completion, but only the process.
What is your biggest design work?
My recent work "Through the Looking Prism" is the project, I have been challenging over 20 years since 2004. It was the miraculous moment when the idea become real shape, it situates at the best location, and performs more than what I expected. This is definitely my masterpiece so far.
Who is your favourite designer?
Shiro Kuramata whom really listens to what material wants to be in a magical way. There is a great sense of proportion, spatial arrangement, joy and playfulness in his design. Every work he does inspires me.
Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
Me as Japanese living in abroad makes me aware of the uniqueness of traditional Japan. I discover many "eternal modernity" in Japanese culture. Practicing and spreading Japanese tea culture is one of my source of inspiration.
Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?
I work mostly on my own, but when necessary, I invite my ex-students to work with me. Besides, I do many collaborations with different expats open up and even develop the design potentiality.
What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?
As myself the first diagnosed Japanese dyslexia, it is important that I gain success to prove that Japanese dyslexia can gain success. I am also a director at the Non-profit organization for supporting dyslexia in Japan. Meanwhile, me as Japanese in foreign country, there is a needs to spread the Japanese Design Concept correctly, as so many people misunderstand Japanese design, and copy by its visual appearance.
What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?
It is pleasing to receive the design award from Italy! There are many designer I respect from Italy such as Carlo Scarpa, and Ettore Sottsass, so I feel proud to receive this award!

Extended Interview with Takanao Todo

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
I am Japanese grow up in Tokyo. I have moved to the UK from the age of 15. I studied architecture in Architectural Association School of Architecture from 2002 to 2008, receiving AAdipl, RIBA part2, and MArch
How did you become a designer?
Receiving a letter from Tadao Ando was my original motivation to become a designer. I enjoy something unexpected happen when people plays with my works, and how the structure grows in time.
What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?
I tried many expressions, such as theater play, musician, story writer, and movie so on. I also wanted to be philosopher, and archaeologist. Being architectural designer and ceramicist can satisfy all, while I am best at testing various other expressions.
Which emotions do you feel when designing?
Architectural design, and ceramic design are the majority of my work. I also do graphic works. I would like to design something larger than interior or pavilions.
What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?
good designer makes something good. great designer makes something make people think.
You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?
Good design helps people stop, think, and trying to interpret. It is one of the best way to inherit human wisdom to the next generation.
What is your day to day look like?
Make my own house or tea bowls. It is always best to design it for my own.
How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?
I would love to design a house, in a wonderful landscape, without much constraint in requirement, regulation, and cost.
How do you decide if your design is ready?
Shiro Kuramata, Kazuo Shinohara, Louis Kahn, Lucie Rie, Koetsu Honami, Furuta Oribe, and Sen Rikyu
What is your biggest design work?
Kimbell Museum by Louis Kahn, when I enter I couldn't move, and I just had to stand and keep silent until I can start to interpret the space.
Who is your favourite designer?
"Through the Looking Prism" is my best work so far. It combines every essence of my design, and even went far beyond. I guess a great design departs from my hands and become something else.
Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
Simply to aim to be the higher place by spontaneous challenges, and learning
What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?
There are so many people believe in my talent, my mother, Peter Salter, my boss, so on

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