Wilkhahn Japan: Interview with Showroom Designer Nobuo Araki

Last year, Wilkhahn Japan relocated its office and showroom to Akasaka. Unlike the previous showroom, the new light-filled open space overlooks the Imperial Palace and Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. We spoke with architect Nobuo Araki, head of The Archetype about his motives behind the interior design.

Mr. Araki, as an architect who has done mostly commercial spaces in Tokyo since the 1990s, have you also worked on office spaces before?

Not many but I do not differentiate design projects since I take the same stance when approaching office, commercial, residential spaces and even products, like furniture. I simply think logically about the optimal solution for the space in that situation. It comes naturally to me as someone with an urban planning background. 

One of your works that often appears in the media is the "YOSHIMOTO KOGYO CO.,LTD. Tokyo head office ".

The space was renovated from the former Yotsuya Daigo (No.5) Elementary School built in 1934 and is the oldest surviving elementary school building of reinforced concrete in Japan. It has also been selected as one of Japan's 100 Modern Movement Buildings by the Japan branch of DOCOMOMO, an international academic organization that records and preserves modern architecture. 

We tried to limit extreme changes to make the most of the design inspired by modernism.

The spaces I design often feel “empty”, but that's because the space isn't complete until it's filled with people and furniture. I often say half-jokingly that the interior design is only about 2% of the overall project. After all, the most important thing is the people, and in second place comes the furniture that makes up the space. For that, I often use masterpieces such as Seven Chair from Fritz Hansen and Wilkhahn’s FS-Line. 

This relocation project of Wilkhahn Japan’s showroom first started when there were plans to rebuild the building of the previous showroom and office. How did it progress from there?

We were contacted before the summer of 2023, and it was a short-term project that kicked off during midsummer. Designers generally ask, "How many employees do you have and how many rooms do you need?" But the new property had already been decided on. I asked the Wilkhahn team to think of this six-month design period as the "instruction manual" for their space and invited them to think about and discuss the various spatial designs.

As soon as they see it as something that affects them, they recognize the difficulties in designing it and begin to take on other perspectives, both of the visitors and their own, when working on it.

As a result, we decided that by just dividing the space into zones and placing large and small boxes, we can easily recreate scenes that can be found in any office.

It is definitely a luxuriously spaced office for just 20 employees, which allows one to shift working locations multiple times throughout the day. Renting it out to other people for a limited time or opening up the space to employees from other companies to work together temporarily seem also to be great uses for such a space. 

Apart from the zoning, what makes the new space stand out?

There is really no boundary between the showroom and the office, so it is like a park where public and private spaces blend together. The open areas and half-closed areas can be partitioned by curtains. 

I chose fabrics from Kvadrat because I thought it would go well with Wilkhahn's chairs. Rather than something like a blackout curtain, I prefer translucent curtains that let in light yet provide some privacy. 

Where do you find your inspiration?

I am often called a "minimalist," but if anything, I just do not want to add unnecessary things, not that I want to subtract. 

I was inspired by German modernist architecture, which is based on a similar philosophy. In particular, I have visited the Czech Republic's Villa Tugendhat (designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1930) several times, both before and after its renovation when it was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2001.

Villa Tugendhat has a simplistic appearance that makes it seem like a plain glass box. However, its uncomplicated construction is precisely the reason for its multipurpose use and has survived to this day despite turbulent times. 

"Less is more" is a commonly used phrase, but Villa Tugendhat emphasizes the "power of less," which translates to the concept of this showroom. The straightforward design comes with great flexibility that can withstand future demands. 

With each passing year, there is growing awareness of not having unnecessary things in a space. I think people will also be the main focus of showrooms in the coming era. As long as there are furniture and people, that space will never fade away.

The Archetype

Villa Tugendhat

Interview and text: Hirokuni Kanki