Japanese design at the Barbican Centre: new exhibition offers minimalist-inspired ideas for London homes

With a full-size recreation of the Moriyama House in Tokyo and more than 200 exhibits, visitors can explore the best of Japanese design and find out to achieve the look in their own homes.
Simply sublime: centrepiece of the exhibition is a full-size recreation of the Moriyama House in Tokyo, by Pritzker Prizewinning architect Ryue Nishizawa
Takashi Homma
Dominic Lutyens25 March 2017

Japanese design, associated with serene, uncluttered space and minimalism, comes under scrutiny in a new exhibition at the Barbican Centre — The Japanese House: Architecture and Life after 1945.

It looks first at how Japan’s architects responded inventively when 4.2 million homes were destroyed in the Second World War.

“In Japan, architects since the war have devoted a big part of their careers to designing family homes because they believe in improving families’ lives,” says curator Florence Ostende.

For your green tea: Barbican Art Gallery Shop’s range of ceramic and wood vessels include this tea cup, £16 

More than 200 exhibits include models, photography, films and a teahouse that visitors can explore. The centrepiece is a full-size recreation of the Moriyama House in Tokyo, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Ryue Nishizawa.

FLEXIBLE INTERIORS

A tradition of flexible interiors means many Japanese homes today have no bedrooms — futons, along with low-level tables for eating, are stowed away after use.

With paper screens backed by grids of wood or bamboo, and floors laid with tatami mats, Japanese interiors appear all geometric orderliness. Yet, says Tom Holberton of London design studio Soho&Co: “These neutral, open spaces also typically feature internal sliding doors, allowing people to divide up their homes however they choose.”

Potty for pots: vases by Japanese-born London-based ceramic artist YutaSegawa, from £24 at MomosanShop 

Natural materials are favoured — wood, paper, ceramics and stone — along with minimalist forms and muted colours. But opulence features, say, in the form of scarlet or black lacquerware and metallic accents.

More playful than it may seem, Japanese style is adaptable to today’s Western homes. Create flexible partitions by hanging textile designer Margo Selby’s diaphanous Luna fabric anywhere in a room, from ceiling to floor. A more permanent alternative is Jeld-Wen’s pared-down internal folding wood doors.

SLENDER FURNITURE

£309: set of three Content by TerenceConranside tables at John Lewis 

Unimposing, slender furniture also conveys the look, such as the walnut DC09 chair from Aram; Content by Terence Conran side tables with bronze or gold tray tops from John Lewis, or Lionel Doyen’s San low-level sofas.

From £1,930: Lionel Doyen San sofas for Manuttifrom Go Modern 

Mid-century designer Isamu Noguchi’s glass-topped coffee table and Hans Wegner’s Wishbone chair with a red lacquer finish are at The Conran Shop.

Clean lines in the bathroom: Lacrima bathtub, £2,525 from Pure Bathroom Collection 

Understated bathroom ideas include Pure Bathroom’s Lacrima bathtub and John Lewis’s Design Project towel rack.

Noguchi’s Fifties Akari floor lights are at the Barbican Centre Art Gallery Shop, as are ceramic and wood bowls from London’s Japan Centre. Momosan Shop in Hackney sells Japanese potter Yuta Segawa’s delicate vases. Sleeker are Naoto Fukasawa’s stainless steel Nomu jug and Cha kettle for Alessi.

Finally, echoing the Japanese ideal of uniting indoors with outdoors is Paloform’s Bento garden fire pit in Corten steel.

The Japanese House: Architecture and Life after 1945, from March 23 until June 25, Barbican Art Gallery, Barbican Centre.

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