Designer Insights: The Future of Offices
02. The Loft in the New Store is an Office?
A Visit with Naoki Terada
Office furniture doesn't have to be just functional.
The new store "MAARKET Tokyo" features an impressive lineup of brands used in offices, such as Vitra, USM Haller, Knoll, and ClassiCon. It also houses Japan's first online store for Denmark's "Muuto," a leading representative of New Nordic design furniture.
But that's not all. Mr. Terada emphasizes the importance of incorporating "a playful spirit that stimulates intellectual curiosity" into the office. The collection includes items that that you'd impulsively want to pick up, such as Kay Bojesen's monkey dolls and Bruno Munari's building blocks.
The store's design was handled by the design team at Interoffice. In this store, reminiscent of a design museum, numerous hints for the future of office spaces are hidden.
"Isn't it interesting to have something extra, something that soothes you just by looking at it, or when you fiddle with it in your hands, it stimulates a different part of your brain? It would be nice to enjoy more of such things, right?" Of course, in the new store, such enjoyable items are displayed among the furniture.
But when asked where Mr. Terada spends most of his time when he really needs to concentrate and think, he reveals, "Actually, I rent a small room near my house. It's truly a room for my hobbies, filled with plastic models of airplanes and ships, which I love. When I'm absorbed in assembling plastic models, lots of ideas come to me." He also shared the secret of his private office, which he hasn't disclosed to anyone.
- Naoki Terada,Architect/Designer
- Born in 1967. Director of TERADADESIGN ARCHITECTS. Graduated from the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering at Meiji University in 1989. Completed his studies at the AA School in the UK in 1994. Since returning to Japan, he has been involved in a wide range of activities including architectural design, interior design, product design, and sign design. He serves as a judge for the Good Design Award. In recent years, he has been heavily involved in brand production and direction. He also took on roles as President, CEO of inter office and Senior Vice President of Knoll Japan, introducing European luxury furniture to Japan. In 2024, he opened "MAARKET Tokyo."For approximately ten years, he has been visiting Germany to inspect ORGATEC.
Miki Homma／Lifestyle Journalist
After gaining experience in the editorial department of the interior design magazine Shitsunai, Miki Homma became an independent journalist. She has been involved in reporting, writing, seminars and various other activities related to furniture, interior design, architecture, kitchen design and more. Ms Homma has conducted numerous interviews overseas in Germany, Italy and other countries. Her published works include “Real Kitchen & Interior”, “Real Living & Interior”, and "Interior Kitchens That Change Your Life" (Shogakukan).