Motomi Kawakami

Motomi Kawakami

Designer

Profile

Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1940, he received his M.F.A. from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1966, worked at Angelo Mangiarotti Architects in Milan from 1966 to 1969, and established Kawakami Design Room in 1971.
His daily work includes craft, product design, furniture, space and environmental design. He is also engaged in the development of local industries and human resources. He has been a visiting professor at Tokyo University of the Arts, Kanazawa College of Art, Tama Art University, and Kobe Design University.
Major awards: Japan Interior Designers Association Award, 1st Prize in the Chair Design Competition sponsored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Mainichi Design Award, Kunii Kitaro Industrial Craft Award, JSCE Tanaka Award, IF Award, G Mark Gold Award, etc.

Motomi Kawakami

Thoughts on Design

While looking at the various scenes of the relationship between space, people, and tools, the field of manufacturing is increasingly required to select and integrate a wide range of new and old materials and techniques as methods, as well as macro social and cultural factors such as environmental and resource issues, aging society, and North-South issues. In my own design work, I have been working on a number of issues. As a designer, I would like to aim to create designs that embody a truly rich and comfortable life in a natural way, believing in the deepening of the aesthetic sense and common sense that comes from repeated experience as a sei-katsu-sha, with a social and ethical perspective that naturally requires thought and action.

Representative work

  • 1968 | FIORENZA | Alberto Bazzani

  • 1976 | NT | Arflex Japan

  • From left to right:
    1992 | BRONX 1010 Folding Chair | CASSINA-IXC
    1981-94 | BLITZ | Skipper s.p.a
    1995 | TUNE | CASSINA-IXC

  • 1981 | CRESCENDO | Bushi

  • 1994 | Tsurumi Tsubasa Bridge | Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway Public Corporation

  • 1991 | TICINO-Sopra Fiume Series | Okamura Corporation

  • 2007 | MOKA Series | Kawashima Industry

  • 2005 | REGIA | UCHIDA YOKO

  • 2005 | Arita HOUEN | D hand A

  • 2006 | Pitcher | Maruhachi Tea House

  • 2006 | INTIME7000 Series | Paramount Bed

  • 2008 | Senbonmatsu Numazu Club |
    Architectural Design: Akira Watanabe
    Art Director: Ryohei Kojima

  • 2008 | StepStep | Nissin Woodwork

  • 2009 | TOPOSPOT | Kurokabe Nagahama City

  • 2010 | SESTINA LUX | Kandi House

  • 2011 | SEOTO | Hida Sangyo

  • 2011 | SYSTEM BATH HINOKI SITE & WOODEN BATH TUB O-Bath | Hinoki Soken

Interview (Japanese)

From the exhibition “Secret Source of Inspiration: Designers’ Hidden Sketches and Mockups”