CHOWA

P: Can you discuss the new showroom in Tribeca? The space beautifully combines historical and contemporary influences with elements like Kiri wood, antique objects, and unique components that tell a story.

RS: My aesthetic is defined by contextual storytelling as much as visual coherence and harmony. A US Navy aluminum locker, once inside a USN ship and now at the Intrepid Museum on the Hudson River, sits next to century-old Meiji-era Japanese antique kiribako boxes. This melding of elements represents Chowa (Harmony) beyond cultures, eras, and ideas, which embodies my vision for Chowa.

P: How does CHOWA ensure its production methods remain sustainable, and what impact do you hope this has on both the environment and the preservation of craftsmanship?

RS: The kiribako tradition is full of sustainable wisdom. Over 300 years ago, the craft’s inception came from the repurposing of scraps from kiri furniture companies in the Bingo region. This intentional repurposing is deeply rooted in the way the artisans craft boxes. I once asked them to work on a tie box, expecting a long rectangular-shaped flat box. Instead, they told me to roll up the tie so the box would be cubic-shaped. “This way, the box can be repurposed easily after serving as a premium packaging solution,” they said. The material Kiri (or Paulownia) itself represents sustainability, as it grows ten times faster than pine trees, and its leaves rejuvenate soil quality and health when they fall onto the ground. It has been shown that a Kiri forest absorbs up to ten times more CO2 and releases up to four times more oxygen compared to a typical mixed-native forest. Keeping the authentic and honest handcraft they have been doing for 300 years is the simple and ultimate solution for Chowa to provide a sustainable luxury packaging solution.

P: Lighting plays a crucial role in setting the ambiance and mood of a space. How does the design of the Terasu lamp incorporate elements of simplicity and harmony?

RS: In the age of the attention economy, our brains are constantly activated by information, much of it from millions of optical lights from the devices in our hands. I wanted to create a lamp that looks like contemporary design but feels like it makes you feel at home in an old Japanese home. Tanizaki Junichiro’s “In Praise of Shadows” describes this feeling perfectly.

P: Given the innovative milestone of your newest project, the Terasu lamp, could you elaborate on the inspirations and process-driven collaboration between the artisans?

RS: During the prototyping stages of Terasu, the initial designs were first crafted at the workshop in Fukuyama. Master artisan Morichika re-configured elements of it through his trial crafting. While the Terasu lamp was designed with kiribako crafting techniques in mind, an artisan with Morichika’s experience has an endless understanding of the practice in ways we could not foresee. It was an exciting and special process. We received back an amended version of the lamp, with the layers of the lamp’s body, screens, and joints shapeshifted. Morichika, with over 40 years of experience in Ningyo-bako, one of the most complex forms of box making, showcased his exceptional skill and specificity in the crafting of Terasu. When we saw his version in person, we knew we had to amend the design to his thought process. It was inspiring and fulfilling for both them and us. He was excited to use his skill set to create something completely new, which had not been done in the world of kiribako before.