Designer Insights: The Future of Offices
Vol.7 Exploring the Role of Loosely Connected Spaces Through Architect-Supervised Furniture in Their Own Office
We asked Naruse and Inokuma about the possibilities of offices and shared spaces going forward.
“In Mitaka, there is the Lieto Garden Mitaka, a development where we renovated former JR company housing and dormitories into communal rental housing and family homes, with plazas and community gardens in between. These spaces are also used by people from the neighbourhood, fostering interaction. Moreover, there are communal kitchens and theatre rooms set up in the common areas – sharing makes it possible to do things in your personal life that would not be doable in a typical individual home. Beyond just this one example, isn’t the mindset of sharing things something essential for coming generations?”
［Lieto Garden Mitaka. Photo by Masao Nishikawa.］
This visit has us convinced that NARUSE・INOKUMA ARCHITECTS will keep coming up with even more ideas that rethink the conventions of living and working and give them new form.
NARUSE・INOKUMA ARCHITECTS Co., Ltd.
Founded in 2007 after Yuri Naruse and Jun Inokuma, formerly classmates at university, formed a business partnership. Ahead of the curve, they championed “designing places for people to share” and have accumulated a broad portfolio in architecture, renovations and project planning. Examples of their next-generation shared spaces include the KOIL Kashiwa-no-ha Open Innovation Lab and the Lieto Garden Mitaka.
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).
Office & Portrait Photography: Takayuki Okamura