With a long list of thoughtful, innovative work to his name, Naoto Fukasawa needs little introduction to fans of contemporary design. But what is it that drives him?

Laurent Muller asks the Japanese design giant to describe his thoughts on design, the designed, and everything inbetween. 

What are you working on today? What projects/products can we look forward to from Naoto Fukasawa ?

In Japan I work closely with industrial products which is one Japanese design characteristic. To be concrete, there are such items as mobile phones, watches, home electrics, housing equipments (bathrooms, toilets, kitchen), lighting, and so on. In the past with Muji, I have worked in sundries, electric items such as a coffee machine, a toaster, and a heater and electric hot water dispenser for Plusminuszero.

With European clients I am releasing some new items at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile this year. There are new chairs from B&B Italia, a bathtub from Boffi, office chairs and tables, named SOHO and another table in a collection called Deja-vu for Magis, glass lights from Danese, bags from Nava, and “chair” from Vitra.

Other than these, there are projects in progress with Artemide, Driade and with Vitra. Apart from these design items, I am also involved as a design director for Muji and for Plusminuszero. I am currently a director for 2121 design sight as well.

Your return to Japan in 1996 is known to have led you to a further exploration of your own design philosophy. Were the politics of Japan part of the influences of your journey?

I think after spending 7 years in the USA, I reached a turning point in my way of thinking towards design.This turning point and my design philosophy have a deep relationship with Japanese traditional aesthetics; design is not about subjectively expressing the object but should instead create good relationships amongst people, objects and the environment. Actually it is about having a mind for making this existing relationship better rather than creating anew.

Art/Architecture, Design/Fashion. Do you believe in the merging of creative disciplines?

Actually they are all connected to each other in our lifestyle. However, they are categorised and separated for our industrial reasons and this is the situation. Because of this, we design home electric products as electric products rather than blending them into the interior. Fashion and furniture are designed without any interconnections as well.

Objects more than architecture are close to us, we wear them, touch them, use them. In the flow of information that surrounds us today, what position do you attribute to your objects? Are they active, passive, political, engaged, neutral elements in our lives?

Many things that exist with forms today will be integrated into architecture as functional equipment. I think this is a possible direction for electrical home products. I also think many mobile information devices are now coming closer to the human body.

I’m imagining more items that will no longer require physical existence from now on, these items will require a form of ‘interaction design’ to allow interactivity. It means what we design will inevitably change from explicitly designing objects to designing relationships. Even if the forms of objects remain, it will probably remain as a result of interaction design.

Is there an ideal product that you would like to create?

When there weren’t too many things around us in the past, people didn’t question making things for themselves. However we have plenty of things around us today.

So I ask myself if it is really better to create anew or is it better to try to preserve what has been made? To change or to create anew is no longer a purpose for design. I prefer to think of it as redesign. So actually there are more things that I do not want to design than I do.
 
Intangible/tangible. Do you consider harmony to be one of the core aspects of your creation?

Yes. Harmony (relationship) changes like living things. A common area within these changing relationships is the centre of harmonies I think.

If we consider that behind true simplicity lies an evolved maturity, could you identify three adjectives that would define your vision today?

Simplicity, objectivity, and modesty.

As a designer you are an active member of society, directly linked to an economical system. If we had to X-ray you, how would your values be composed?

Rather than a cycle with money; things produce money and money makes us satisfied. If people can experience a transition from economic satisfaction to one’s happiness by stimulating our curiosity with our mind that devises what is available around us, I imagine the system will gradually change. I think design is something similar to our mind, it can deliver happiness instead of economical satisfaction.

Do you think a designer dictates, are objects dictating our way of life, or does life determine the nature of things?

Depending on things, our lifestyle can be desolated or it can also bring us peace. Regardless whether design is involved or isn’t, we are subconsciously related to things around us and we take advantage of them.

I define what is good as the value that we collect from each situation, an environment that leads to a better relationship. What is important is that things or environments subconsciously pull us towards a better direction.

Experimentation versus experience. How do you control the need to discover versus excelling at what you know and do?

I am very interested in seeing a subconscious relationship between things and the environment. I like finding out common behaviours when people intend to harmonise with the environment and become one kind of animal. To do so, I recognise both the objective side of a person and the subconscious.

Environment; choice; well being; can objects teach us something?

Everything is subconsciously but definitely translated either as a good relationship or as a bad relationship by our senses and accumulated by our memory. We cannot actively sense this accumulated memory, this learning. However, when such senses are needed, they will naturally appear from the memory.

Does the industrial process place limitations on the transmission of your ideas?

Of course. However if we do not have limits, we are not able to define what is complete and what is satisfied

Idea/solution, dream/reality, how is your day divided?

Mostly around ideas and solutions. Dreams represent a possible reality. Sometimes I sense that I am a step closer to my dreams. It is important that we work towards dreams in order for us not to be continually reaching.