Stellar Works Showroom in Kyoto in Partnership with Hosoo
The House of Hosoo and Stellar Works put forward their passion for craft and tradition in a stunning showroom in Kyoto. Located in a traditional Japanese family house, the space reveals a unique collaboration between these two distinctive brands.
The House of Hosoo with Stellar Works is a new showroom in Kyoto, Japan designed in collaboration with Copenhagen based OEO Studio. A synchronous encounter between two brands who have craft, tradition and beauty deeply ingrained in their DNA, the showroom is both a retail space yet it is also an opportunity to see one of a kind pieces and fabrics. Every piece presented in the showroom has been exclusively made for the space, a unique capsule collection of Stella Works furniture upholstered in Hosoo fabrics.
The showroom is housed in a 200-year old Machiya townhouse, what was once used as a traditional family house. Hosoo was using it as a warehouse space and Stellar Works CEO Yuichiro Hori pitched the idea to Hosoo to transform the townhouse, seeing the potential in making a showroom that would highlight the two brands in a special way.
OEO Studio and Stellar Works took care to respect the Machiya townhouse and its heritage as a family residence while highlighting the deep-rooted connection to craft in this city. Each room is its own mise-en-scene, such as a meeting room that features a Mandarin Dining Table by Neri & Hu and a suite of Laval chairs designed by OEO Studio and covered in a specially selected range of blue and purple hued Hosoo fabrics; an intimate living room with semi-circular sofa and chairs by Yabu Pushelberg, a beautiful cabinet designed by Neri & Hu with custom fabric interiors; and the AYA furniture collection designed by OEO Studio and launched at the NOMA pop-up in Kyoto this spring. Other highlights include the Kyoto standing lamp with a rice paper lampshade made by hand by a traditional Japanese umbrella maker, and a selection of ceramic pieces from the Arita collection designed by Neri & Hu.
Stellar Works has a Tokyo showroom, but, as Hori explains, “Kyoto is more a place for tradition and crafts. We don’t need to show our signature collection, but it made sense to show something more fun, related to the city of Kyoto and its manufacturing. With Hosoo’s weaving workshop behind the showroom, people can see how it the fabric is produced and enjoy the story of this weaving heritage.”
Traditionally, Hosoo fabrics were produced in a specific size in order to make the kimono belt but this limited the potential for other uses of the fabric. Hori proposed to Hosoo the idea of making it wider to allow it to be used as upholstery for interiors. Knowing they needed to make a change, they developed a new machine using all of the same Nishijin weaving techniques but wide enough to cover furniture. The resulting fabric has a very three-dimensional quality. It is textural, layered, in some cases it looks like sharkskin or snakeskin with its shimmering qualities.
“Stellar Works is not just looking towards the future but also looking at the past,” Hori explains. “We are often trying to reintroduce past furniture traditions in contemporary ways, as seen in our partnerships with the Louisiana Museum in Denmark and brands such as Hosoo. We are always interested in cross-cultural collaboration and everything we do is handmade.”
The showroom is open by appointment only.
752 Bishamoncho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, 602- 8227, Japan
@stellarworks_official
@hosoo_official
Oeo_studio
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