Studio Takeda Katsuya Design

The fourth edition of “Timeless Innovation” celebrates Iki, an aesthetic spirit born in Tokyo from the simple life of ordinary people, which expresses essential beauty, purity and playful spirit, without being limited to appearance.

Harmony and precious workmanship are hidden in the minimal design of the BRACE collection, lightweight modular furniture made with exceptional craftsmanship in fine Hinoki cypress, respecting the natural balance. Proposals born from the meeting between the Studio Takeda Katsuya Design of Milan and the tatehiko brand of Shoei Furniture Studio Co., Ltd, based in Ashikaga, Japan

This year, this minimal world will be enriched by the exhibition of DRY BONSAI®, the brand created by Shigeo Fujita, an artistic reinterpretation of the traditional bonsai that, through drying techniques, preserves its beauty over time, adding a touch of elegance and a playful spirit to the exhibition.

“Connected Worlds” is the theme of Fuorisalone 2025, an invitation to reflect on how design can play a crucial role in connecting different dimensions of our existence, between contaminations and interweavings of different languages.

Studio Takeda Katsuya Design (founded by designer Katsuya Takeda and artist and painter Takako Iida) in the 5Vie district, a historic neighborhood of Milan, once again explores the possibilities of design by enhancing craftsmanship, traditional techniques and Japanese sensitivity.

During design week 25, in fact, the fourth edition of the "Timeless Innovation" exhibition will be held in the showroom in Via del Torchio. An opportunity to bring tradition and innovation into dialogue and to discover how products born in Japan are valued in the world, accepted in the cultures of distant lands and transformed into new styles.

The key to understanding this edition will be "Living with Iki" (Living with the spirit of Iki), a spirit born in Tokyo and still little known outside of Japan. The art of “Iki” refers to a particular aesthetic vision, a beauty that seduces but does not show itself because it is not limited to appearance: it is made of details, it is reflected in style and attitude. It is also connected to the concept of "Uramasari", born in the 17th century in Edo (now Tokyo), when flashy clothes were forbidden. Common people expressed their playful spirit and a subtle resistance through the luxury hidden in the internal decorations of traditional kimonos.

Suggestions that we find in the essential design of the BRACE collection, (bookcase furniture, side table and coffee table with thin white legs and brass joints), designed by Katsuya Takeda and made by tatehiko (a brand founded by carpenter Yoshihiko Shimizu and designer Saeko Waki, in the rural hills on the outskirts of Ashikaga), and which after four years of development, is finally ready for the market.

The artisanal expertise of tatehiko, passed down for four generations, together with the philosophy of enhancing the resources of the nearby forest, have managed to enhance the beauty and value of Hinoki (Japanese cypress). This wood, used since ancient times in Japanese architecture and carpentry, stands out for its light and neutral color, which allows it to adapt to any environment, and for its ability to create a sacred and solemn atmosphere.

Always telling us about the magic of this forest is a pictorial work by Takako Iida who recalls having visited that ancient place, surrounded by silence and an almost mystical aura, and expresses on the large canvas the emotions felt: the wonder, the silence and a sense of enveloping nostalgia.

True jewels of carpentry are also the “Tatehiko Boxes”, also created by Yoshihiko Shimizu and Saeko Waki ​​with their clear design and straight lines, without anything superfluous, emblems of a refined but simple beauty. Real treasure chests where you can carefully store your most precious things and memories.

These furnishing accessories will finally be embellished by the works of Shigeo Fujita, founder of the DRY BONSAI® brands, as well as designer and manufacturer. His creation, DRY BONSAI, is an artistic reinterpretation of the traditional bonsai that, through drying techniques, preserves its beauty over time. Master Fujita has observed that often bonsai that are close to dying, and should be thrown away, still preserve germs of beauty. Reasoning on the Japanese concept of Wabi-sabi, or “impermanent beauty” or “perfect imperfection”, he has devised a technique to preserve their splendor over time: he removes the soil, dehydrates the entire plant, often decorates it with preserved leaves and flowers, thus creating something new, an original work of art with a great visual impact.

At Fuorisalone 2025, Studio Takeda Katsuya Design offers us a real aesthetic journey towards Iki, the playful spirit of Tokyo… and it will be impossible not to be enchanted.

From April 7 to April 13

From 11:00 to 19.00

Wednesday 9 April cocktail party from 18.00 to 21.00