We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Katsunori Nagai ("KN").
The representative of Re+ Design Lab has been interested in architecture, interior design, crafts, art, etc., since an early age, and went on to study at an art university. As a spatial designer, he works on a wide range of spatial designs, including restaurants, retail stores, offices, homes, and hospitals. In order to give shape to the customer's ideas, he creates things carefully, one by one, like a workshop, providing customers with added value they never imagined.
Katsunori Nagai Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Katsunori Nagai.
Katsunori Nagai Design - Nagisa Bakery Interior Space
Designer Interview of Katsunori Nagai:
DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
KN : 2004、 Architect、Osaka University of Arts、Osaka/Japan 2004-2018、 I worked for a Japanese spatial design and construction company and an architectural design firm. I started to become a designer because I was involved in interior design and furniture making when I was in high school. I then went on to art university with the aim of becoming a designer of larger spaces and architecture, and I continue to create works as a spatial designer to this day.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
KN : Based in Osaka, Japan, we are an office that designs commercial facilities and residential spaces. Our philosophy is to "give shape to our customers' ideas." The "Re+" in Re+ Design Lab has four important meanings. The first is Reconstruction. We break down our customers' ideas into their constituent parts and reconstruct them into new appeal. The second is Renovation. We provide new added value with unexpected ideas. The third is Reconsider. We continue to rethink new possibilities until we can give shape to our customers' ideas. The fourth is Recycle. We proactively utilize what is available and regenerate it into a new form. Our office is like a workshop (lab) where we carefully create each and every item using the four Re's.
DI: What is "design" for you?
KN : I believe that design is about grasping things objectively and discerning their essence.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
KN : What I enjoy most is designing spaces for commercial facilities in general, such as restaurants, hotels, and retail stores.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
KN : This is a traditional Japanese teahouse. Teahouses are small spaces that have been stripped of all unnecessary elements, but when you enter them you feel as if you are in another world, isolated from the real world.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
KN : It is a small Italian restaurant with only seven seats at the counter. The restaurant's name comes from the work "ABITACOLO" by artist Bruno Munari.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
KN : My favorite materials are steel and wood, and I reconstruct existing building materials into something different.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
KN : A beautiful space that makes full use of the golden ratio
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
KN : When designing a space, we place importance on where the customer is looking. We think about the installations that will create an impact on the first impression, and select materials in the space that will draw the customer's attention to the products.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
KN : It's a lot of fun and I can lose myself in thinking for hours.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
KN : The customer's thoughts are embodied, and it feels like meeting a part of the customer.
DI: What makes a design successful?
KN : Don't give up thinking until the end.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
KN : It's important to make sure that what you want to communicate most clearly is immediately obvious.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
KN : It's about being environmentally conscious and reusing whatever is available whenever possible. And it's about proactively communicating environmentally conscious design to society and spreading the idea.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
KN : I feel that the position and role of designers is not considered important in Japan. However, as business grows and develops, design will become one of the more important elements. In the future, as society develops and people's hearts become richer, I think design will become something that more people want.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
KN : I haven't had an exhibition yet.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
KN : When I think of designs, I walk along the river or in the city, combining what I see with what I think about, to come up with something new and original. My source of inspiration is the traditional Japanese landscape that permeates our daily lives.
DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
KN : At Re+ Design Lab, we combine four techniques to create spaces. The first is concept planning. Together with our customers, we plan the concept that will be the framework for the direction of the space and the main products, and at the same time, we decide on the store name and service name that fit the concept. The second is spatial composition based on the golden ratio and the shakkanho system. Beautiful things and comfortable spaces are composed of beautiful ratios. At Re+, we combine the golden ratio, which has been used since ancient Greece, and the shakkanho system, a unit unique to Japan, to create spaces. The third is visual presentation. For the main products and locations, we combine visual presentation (VMD) with the space to provide new added value by integrating the products and space into a highly branded way of showing them. The fourth is reconstruction and renewal. We break down the customer's thoughts into components, reconstruct them into new appeal, and reflect the added value in the space. This style was arrived at after thinking about how to create something beautiful even with a limited construction budget if you have an idea.
DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
KN : I live in Osaka, Japan. The dimensional units of temples, teahouses, and traditional Japanese architecture are used in my designs. Traditional Japanese buildings are simple, but have a quiet design that gives the impression of time standing still. Living in Japan is an advantage in that you can feel that atmosphere, but if it is too simple, it can also be a disadvantage in that it is difficult to express originality.
DI: How do you work with companies?
KN : As an external designer, I also supervise and advise on designs.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
KN : I think the company needs to clarify what they want to do and communicate that to the designer. After that, it's important to work together with the designer as a team, trusting each other. It's important to choose a designer who can clearly articulate the design from an objective point of view.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
KN : First, we start by coming up with a concept and creating a brand. After that, we plan the layout of the space using the golden ratio and the shakkanho system, and place an eye-catching idea in the area that the customer sees first. We also use materials that are in line with the concept and are original.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
KN : Ceiling lighting：Bullet（NEW LIGHT POTTERY） Table lamp：TURN＋（Ambientec） Tea bowl：Tabi-chawan（Isigaki-yaki Pottery Studio） Bicycle：BALLAD OMEGA（FUJI） Chair：A 100-year-old leather chair given to me by my grandfather
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
KN : During the day I create drawings and come up with designs, and after work I go to my favorite restaurant or have dinner with friends on my balcony.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
KN : Never give up on your designs. And never compromise.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
KN : The good thing is that you can see the essence of things from an objective point of view. The bad thing is that if you are too particular, you may become detached from the rest of the world.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
KN : givers gain！！
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
KN : To see the true nature of things from an objective point of view
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
KN : MacbookPRO、VectorWarks、Adobe Illustrator、Adobe Photoshop、Gemini、Pinterest
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
KN : Drawing is the most time-consuming part of the spatial design process. We collect the results of past measurements of the time required for drawing, and understand and manage how much time it will take. If we can understand this, we can manage the entire schedule.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
KN : It depends on the project, but for a commercial facility spatial design of around 100m2, it takes about 90 days.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
KN : How do you think about things to generate ideas?
DI: What was your most important job experience?
KN : Being exposed to a variety of works and knowledge
DI: Who are some of your clients?
KN : Presidents of restaurants, retail stores, beauty salons, hospitals, and real estate companies
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
KN : The fun part of design work is coming up with concepts and developing building materials. If there are 100 clients, I think it is necessary to provide 100 different ideas. Each one is unique, and 100 different pieces will be created.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
KN : My future plans include building a studio for developing new materials. My vision for the future is to design spaces related to all the services that I use in my daily life.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
KN : I develop the designs myself, but as the scale of the projects grows, we share the design work.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
KN : We are currently designing a private lodging facility in Kyoto. Although it is a new building, we are incorporating the essence of Kyoto into the design, and we are exploring how to create a new place that can only be experienced there.
DI: How can people contact you?
KN : Please contact us via our homepage. https://www.replus-dl.com/
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
KN : If you are planning to do business in a restaurant or hotel in Japan, please contact us. We will provide you with a unique space design just for you.