The project was to renovate one room in the “Coop Olympia”, a 58-year-old apartment building located in front of Meiji Shrine. The owner of the room wished for a traditional Japanese-style living space that nonetheless makes the inhabitants “feel the future”.

Rather than emulating the concept of a conventionally futuristic home as predicted in sci-fi movies set in the year 20XX, we focused on capturing the enduring spirit of Japanese culture and hospitality, which will likely remain unchanged both now and in the future.

Let us not “chase the future” but rather “look towards a future where we cherish what is most important”.

The concept is, “light that accompanies”, invoking an experience similar to visiting a Japanese inn, where the innkeeper personally welcomes guests and pays meticulous attention to every detail in the space. We believe it is the sense of security born from this attention to detail that embodies the unchanging comfort of a Japanese home, even in the future.

To express the idea of a light that accompanies inhabitants, we designed the lighting to turn on gently and automatically at the moment one returns home, enters a room, goes into the bathroom, or opens a storage door. By eliminating the need to press a switch, the lighting creates an impression that warmly says, “Welcome home,” and “Thank you for your hard work today.” We believe the light of Japanese hospitality that accompanies our daily lives is encapsulated in these types of subtle acts of consideration.