takeshi miyakawa studio visit

takeshi miyakawa in his studio in new york city
image © designboom


designboom has selected japanese born, new york based designer takeshi miyakawa to participate in our
show 'yakitate' (in japanese: freshly baked) that will feature the works of eight upcoming talents from japan.
under the theme 'exploring the design process', takeshi will demonstrate his production process, starting from
a simple sketch, making models, leading up to the construction of a real object, as part of our 'yakitate' daily
workshop program.

we invite you to visit our exhibition at dwell on design in los angeles, USA from june 24 - 26, 2011.
hope to see you there!

you can download the full program and the participating designers' profiles here (best viewable with acrobat reader)
- for press: high res version available here.


model of takeshi's studio
image © designboom


takeshi's interest in the 'model' as an abstract expression of buildings continues to instruct the tactile approach
he takes to in his fabrication process; creating pieces only by hand with paper and foam study models, from conception
to fabrication, maintaining his ideology of simplicity.



sliced logs act as shelves in which miyakawa displays his small mock-up models
image © designboom

he designs furniture pieces that are minimal, architectural, but which retain a playful quality.
working mainly in plywood, takeshi's architectural education resonates through his choice of simple geometric forms,
as well as his natural affinity for abstracting nature and urban life. deceivingly simple and humble in both his choice of
materials and form, takeshi miyakawa’s works continually provoke and intrigue.



image © designboom


his fascination for craft started as early as five years old when his father taught him to bend bamboo strips with just a candle flame
as a means of making toy airplanes. after completing an architectural degree at the tokyo science university, takeshi worked as a construction
supervisor for four years. during this period he was exposed to highly skilled craftsmen. in 1989 he moved to new york city,
where he has been working as a model maker at rafael vinoly architects since 1992. in 2001 he founded his own design office.
designboom recently visited takeshi's new studio during the new york design week in may 2011.



small model of 'red eclipse, help japan! - designboom will bring the real project to the 'yakitate' show at dwell on design!
image © designboom

see designboom's article on miyakawa's 'red eclipse, help japan!' table here.



many different miniature models are displayed in the studio
image © designboom



image © designboom



various prototypes
image © designboom



part of the tube table - studies of the curves that define the overall shape of the design
image courtesy takeshi miyakawa



small model of the tube table (left) and the actual project (right)
images courtesy takeshi miyakawa



the main hall of the studio is used for office work and displaying finished pieces and models
image © designboom



from left to right: 'gang for four' shelf, 'holey' chair, 'axonometric' table
image © designboom



takeshi miyakawa shows the miniature models of the 'gang for four' shelf
image © designboom



more models...
image © designboom



image © designboom



'stump' side table
image © designboom



front: 'axonometric' table
image © designboom



different view into the main hall of the studio
image © designboom



boxes with material research and collection of bits and bobs
image © designboom



takeshi miyakawa finds new shapes from objects that already exist
image © designboom



paper pencils
image © designboom



takeshi miyakawa at the studio entrance door
image © designboom



from left to right: takeshi's friend colgate searle, michael sylvester, managing director, dwell on design and the designboom team anita hackethal and jenny filipetti
have visited takeshi's studio during ICFF new york design week.
image courtesy takeshi miyakawa


the studio includes a wood workshop with various machinery and tools
image © designboom

takeshi has also participated in designboom's curated exhibitions 'NY local' in new york in 2009
and 'asia now' at dwell on design in los angeles in 2010.