Interview about Charis Interior Space, winner of the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award 2025
The interplay of contrasting materials establishes a new aesthetic equilibrium. Metallic accents and glassware subtly reflect light, adding a touch of sparkle to the space. The coolness of natural stone or marble seamlessly blends with the hardness of metal, creating a sophisticated atmosphere. Kumiko, a traditional Japanese woodworking technique, intricately combines small pieces of wood to form beautiful patterns, casting shadows and adding depth and movement to the space. These materials harmoniously balance the aesthetic and leave an exciting impression on visitors.
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View Design DetailsThis harmony emerged through quiet listening rather than deliberate contrast. Each material—kumiko, metal, and stone—carries not only form, but memory and rhythm. Kumiko brought cultural depth and precision, while metal and stone offered clarity and permanence. Rather than fusing them, I allowed their qualities to resonate—subtly aligning their presence through proportion, light, and atmosphere. What emerged was not synthesis, but attunement. The materials did not compete; they conversed—each holding silence differently, each contributing to a shared emotional geography.
I am drawn to the moments when light is not constant, but in transition—when it slips across surfaces and reveals space through its absence. In Charis, the kumiko patterns became a quiet filter for this movement, shaping light into rhythm and shadow into memory. The metallic accents amplify this modulation—not to dazzle, but to reflect the changing nature of time itself. What inspired me was the potential for light to become a co-creator of emotion—subtle, temporal, and alive.
I approached these materials not as representatives of cultures, but as carriers of atmosphere and time. Sicilian marble held a quiet luminosity, Patagonian granite offered anchoring depth, and kumiko conveyed precision and memory. Rather than seeking harmony through similarity, I composed their differences as a kind of spatial rhythm—each material entering and exiting the narrative like distinct voices in a shared silence. Their cohesion lies not in blending, but in mutual resonance—held together by restraint, light, and the stillness that surrounds them.
Tension, when refined, invites perception. In Charis, the contrast between stone and metal is not confrontation—it is calibration. The coolness of stone slows the senses, while the metallic presence sharpens awareness. This duality heightens emotional presence, allowing visitors to feel texture, temperature, and silence more deeply. It is through such poised opposition that atmosphere gains depth. I believe contrast, when composed with care, becomes a vessel for resonance.
Charis proposes that future interiors need not choose between tradition and innovation. Instead, they can listen—to history, to material, to the temporality of experience. Traditional craftsmanship, like kumiko, holds the memory of hands and culture. Contemporary design, when quiet and precise, makes space for that memory to unfold. I envision a future where design becomes less about assertion and more about attunement—where interior space is not curated for impact, but composed to resonate over time.
Technology, for me, is a medium of refinement. In Charis, I used CAD and light simulation not to dominate, but to reveal—how kumiko patterns would filter morning light, how marble would absorb dusk. These tools allowed me to model silence, to trace the arc of shadow across stone. Far from replacing tradition, technology protected its subtlety—ensuring that each detail aligned with the emotional tone of the space. In this duality, intuition gains clarity, and tradition gains precision.
I approached the space as a continuous atmosphere rather than a sequence of rooms. The materials were not repeated mechanically, but introduced like themes in a composition—appearing, receding, and returning. I relied on modulation: soft shifts in light, gentle transitions in texture, calibrated thresholds. Kumiko acts as a visual cadence, while stone and metal hold the spatial tempo. The harmony is not in uniformity, but in a slow unfolding—where each part quietly belongs to the whole.
Kumiko is a geometry of light and air. In Charis, it became a living filter—allowing light to shift gently, to break and recompose. The shadows it casts are never fixed; they evolve with the day, echoing the impermanence embedded in traditional Japanese aesthetics. In a modern interior, kumiko adds not nostalgia, but temporality. It creates depth not through mass, but through rhythm—offering a space where stillness is not emptiness, but movement slowed into presence.
Time is an invisible material. The extended timeline allowed each detail to be shaped, not installed. Kumiko was crafted with seasonal patience; stone was selected and finished with time for touch and reflection. Charis was not built—it was cultivated. In a world often rushing toward completion, I believe this duration was essential to allow presence to mature. Every element, from joinery to shadow, was given time to find its right depth.
The materials were chosen not only for their initial expression, but for how they would record time. The marble will wear with gesture, the metal will gather touch, and the kumiko will shift as light seasons change. Their aging is not erosion—it is memory taking form. I believe a space becomes truly complete only after years of quiet transformation. In Charis, I hope that each surface becomes part of someone’s story—subtle, resonant, and enduring.— Hiroki Takahashi Architect of Spatial Resonance
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