How Japan influenced Nordic aesthetics and vice versa, and why designs of both are growing more popular in Hong Kong
Simplicity, craftsmanship and premium materials characterise their furniture and other products, but Japanese designs may have the edge in Hong Kong simply because they are smaller
Japanese interior designer Koichiro Ikebuchi may have based his studio in Singapore, but he remains deeply inspired by his home country.
Whether he is designing hotel rooms in Bangkok or a restaurant in Jakarta, Ikebuchi is known for projects featuring the clean lines, minimalist furniture and natural materials that are associated with Japanese designers. In the clubhouse of the Pavilia Hill residential development in Tin Hau, Hong Kong, which opened in mid-2016, Ikebuchi went so far as to install a swimming pool inspired by Japanese onsen.
Scandinavian couple’s Hong Kong village home a homage to Danish design
Asked what differentiates Japanese design from similarly sleek Scandinavian interiors, Ikebuchi is stumped. “I don’t see any obvious differences,” he muses. “Both are particular about details, both pursue simplicity, both prefer crude beauty rather than decorative and both have sympathy to craft works.”
But how did Japan and the Nordic countries end up developing such similar aesthetics? And why are brands from these countries so popular in Hong Kong?
For a start, there’s been plenty of historical cross-pollination between the two. Copenhagen’s Designmuseum Danmark is currently hosting an exhibition called Learning From Japan, which documents how Japan has influenced Danish design since 1870.
The exhibition will run until autumn 2018, and features objects including Danish pottery from the late 19th century that uses Japanese glazing techniques and a tray designed in 1984 by Snorre Stephenson for serving Japanese meals, which wouldn’t look out of place in a ryokan in Kyoto.