Just
the other week, I asked you whether this human body plate was clever
or offensive. This week, designer Hiroshi Tsunoda lets us in
on his thought process, and tells us of the ways in which he seeks to challenge
our perceptions of fine design.
1.The designs in your studio's online portfolio seem so varied in, which I know must
come from working with a team of independent designers. Is there a unifying
theme to the work you guys do?
I have my design team in my studio, but all the designs are coming from me. We
design for two brands, DesignCode and Hiroshi Tsunoda Design Studio (HTDS).
We develop from the idea to final prototypes for DesignCode, since it is my own brand and we have to think of everything, from how to assemble, how to stack, and how to send. So we do all the packaging for DesignCode as well. And we just do developing designs for HTDS, which is always presented to other brands or companies to be produced.
2. How large is your design team, and how does such a collaboration work from project
to project?
I have one assistant who helps me with all the designs, and we have three interns
from different countries. We develop many projects at once, not one by
one. I have to organize the beginning of the each project, but
everything goes quite smoothly for the rest of the process without my direct
direction. I must say that I have a very good design team now.
3. Tell me more about the Vanity table. I think it’s gorgeous.
I did the Vanity table for Salone Satelitte 2005 when I exhibited there. I wanted
to create a very in-your-eye design. There were so many minimalist
designs and they were all black and white back then. So I wanted to
do the total opposite of what was happening. The image of
the butterfly is very beautiful from the distance, but it is
quit disgusting when you look at it very closely. That was my
intention and people were quite surprised to see the image of the butterfly
so big and in details. And they were quite unpleased with the image that
they were looking at. It was quite a success for me.
4. Your body plates are what originally brought me to your site, as the practice
of Nyotaimori is somewhat controversial. Was this something
you considered during the design process? Is there some sort of political
statement you're making with these plates, or are you perhaps being cheeky?
The Nyotaimori sushi plates are the same kind of concept. They are very
attractive to see, but some people get annoyed by looking at them.
And they both are quite different from what I normally do. I really
enjoy betraying people’s expectations of my designs, and surprising them.
5. Are these pieces on your site going into production? If so, what is pricing
like on pieces such as the Vanity table and the body plates, and where can one
purchase these pieces?
All the furniture is produced by other companies or brands, and they are
not so cheap. And we do produce some of the designs from HTDS, but we
cannot offer them cheap. On the other hand, all the designs from DesignCode are
quit affordable. And that is why I have created DesignCode. I wanted
to create a design brand that can offer affordable designs for many people. The
designs from DesignCode are economical, but also interesting
and attractive.
All the designs from DesignCode can be purchased from the DesignCode web store, or one of the shops that we have in different countries.
6. What recent design trends are you most excited about?
Everything goes, and everything is designed. I am interested in, but I do not
like, what is happening with the design world now. It seems everybody is doing the
same thing, which is not design nor art pieces. I am very interested to
see how much longer it takes before we get tired of seeing them.
7. Do you have advice for fine design-loving homeowners with a smaller budget?
You can be very creative and do many creative things with a smaller budget. You do not need to buy a 4.000 euros coffee table to be creative. Or buy DesignCode designs.
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