Mika Kanayama

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Mika Kanayama ("MK") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

MK : I run an Interior design studio Muzo in London. I was born in Japan but have lived in London for more than half of my life. Following a bachelor's degree in Interior Design in the UK, I gained experience at a number of large and small design studios in London before starting Muzo in 2018.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

MK : My interest in interior design started very early but I became a musician in my early adulthood - after I felt I’d done all I wanted to with that, I decided to take a different path and to follow my lifelong interest in interior design.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

MK : It was my choice to become a designer – at one point I realised that I should take the opportunity to focus on this thing I was interested in, so it was definitely a deliberate decision.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

MK : I mainly specialise in F&B commercial spaces such as restaurants, bars and cinemas. I’d like the opportunity to work on more hotels and experiential spaces in the future, as well as partnering with creatives and businesses in my local community in northeast London.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

MK : I think it’s important to be interested in all things in the world, inspiration for design can truly come from anywhere.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

MK : Good designers can create pleasing spaces but great designers create spaces that are truly innovative and full of surprises, spaces that can transform the experience of being there.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

MK : It’s not only about something being aesthetically pleasing but also about an understanding of how the space will be used and can be used – and how these needs are incorporated seamlessly into the design

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

MK : Interior spaces are invariably where we spend most of our time, I think it’s important that these spaces have been thought about, not only from the viewpoint of their utility but also in their effect on us and our experiences of being in them – this is a universal thing, so any space benefits from some level of design.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

MK : My entire home for my own family, it has been long awaited…

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

MK : It would be great to be a bridge between Japan and Europe through design work. I’ve done projects in both places using elements of both – but I can’t help feeling there’s a perfect expression of this that hasn’t yet materialised.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

MK : My design approach is always end-experience focused, I try to create spaces with the people who will be using them in mind – ideally with the hope that they will feel uplifted and inspired in some way by being there.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

MK : There are many, but two that I always come back to are Italian Architect/Designer Carlo Scarpa and American architect Ray Kappe.

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

MK : The Memphis Milano apartment by Puntofilipino comes to mind –mixture of materials and elements beautifully and meticulously executed.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

MK : Castiglione, which is an artisan coffee shop in London and one of the latest projects I worked on. It’s a very small space but has a really clear vision, using a combination of neoclassical and retro-futuristic styles – materials and lighting work really well together mixing styles with different finishes. It’s a great place to have a coffee too.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

MK : It’s important to keep thinking and creating, even when you feel stuck - to push yourself to be more open minded and to be honest with yourself about things that aren’t working.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

MK : I’d love to convert and restore old folk houses, Kominka in Japan. In modern times they’re typically considered to have little value or be an inconvenience and a nuisance to maintain – but I’ve long dreamed of bringing them back to life to be used again.

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

MK : Design is an art, a science and a language combined, it is a complex and integrated process, but an instinctual one too. For me it is the opportunity to express and feel the connections between these things.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

MK : My husband has been always supportive, although he isn’t a designer he is an artist in many ways, he is the person I can discuss freely about design – sometimes he’s brutally critical and occasionally he’s right too, but he always believes in me completely.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

MK : I’m not sure, but I try to treat each project like it’s the most important, and I think this gives me more opportunity to do my best work.

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

MK : It took a while for me to become an interior designer and I started fairly late. To study for my degree required money and time, and I began during my pregnancies and when my children were very small. It was quite difficult to juggle these every day.

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

MK : They should present their work however they feel is right for them – like any art, I don’t think there is a correct or incorrect answer.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

MK : I am working on a multi faith prayer hall in central London. Though I’m not religious myself and it isn’t connected to Japan as a project, it has quite a Japanese influenced harmony and serenity and feels like a natural thing for me to be doing.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

MK : I don’t really have a goal beyond carrying-on working on interesting places, that hopefully people like.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

MK : I would like to think people would expect to be listened-to, really design is about making spaces for other people after all.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

MK : I’m not sure design can have a huge impact, but it is a universal language and it is about the spaces that people use every day, ideally theses spaces would make them feel positive in some way .

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

MK : I’m currently working on a cinema expansion project and film school, I love designing public spaces, but to do this for students too is a privilege.

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

MK : I worked on The Garden Cinema, which is an independent arthouse cinema in London. The project was challenging in many ways, but seeing it completed and the reputation and popularity of the cinema that followed was extremely gratifying. I feel proud that the space is enjoyed by so many film lovers.

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

MK : It’d like to see less AI generated design.

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

MK : I really have no idea – but that’s an exciting thing.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

MK : It varies quite a bit from project to project, but as I’m usually involved from conception to completion of build, it might typically take between three and twelve months.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

MK : I try to understand the project’s needs first, and do a lot of thinking and research – often this reveals one key idea, which could be a stylistic concept, a piece of art or image that seems to encapsulate how the project will feel – this becomes a sort of keystone to the concept as it develops.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

MK : I don’t think I have one, hmm… ‘design like no-one is watching’?

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

MK : I think it actually works both way, without trying to sound like too much of a contrarian, I’m often put-off by things once I begin to see them a lot in other designs, partly I think because I feel it’s the designer’s responsibility to move the discussion forward rather than merely following what is going on more generally.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

MK : Most generally, it makes the process efficient and allows clear communication, but I actually work in 3D from quite early on in the process, as it allows me to better imagine how the space will work.

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

MK : Vectorworks, sketchup, Vray and adobe software

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

MK : They are the essential elements along with form and space, but each interacts with and informs the other.

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

MK : I’m happy for them to ask what they like – I’d want to hear what interested them.

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

MK : I get very excited and inspired.

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

MK : I’m not sure, but co-design is a great to way to create something unique and collaborative, I haven’t yet had much opportunity for this, but I do try to get clients and other stakeholders involved in the creative process as much as they would like.

DL: Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?

MK : It has been many people really, those I’ve worked alongside but also clients who have dreams and ideas about what they want, it’s always great to see their thoughts and mine come together into a working design.

DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

MK : In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki – it’s an essay on Japanese aesthetics that brilliantly articulates something far beyond the clichés that are often presented.

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

MK : Largely just by doing projects and building up experience, there’s always a first time for any situation or challenge, and I hope I continue to learn throughout my career.

DL: Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?

MK : I think it would have to be Carlo Scarpa.

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

MK : I am grateful that my works are recognised, but I’m certainly not famous!

DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

MK : I have no favourite colours – every colour has a place where a certain effect is needed in a certain situation. I love hot sunny places. Any food that is made with care is my favourite. Spring and autumn in Japan are unbeatable. I don’t have any particular interest in brand.

DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?

MK : I’m sorry, I’ll have to get back to you about that!

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

MK : Sounds a bit boring but when I’m feeling that the day is productive, it gives me a lot of satisfaction – creating works always bring me joy, that drives my motivation really.

DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?

MK : I was always interested in Interior Design. I used to look at floor plans of all sorts of places and imagine what those rooms would be like and how the space would feel. I never thought I would become a professional designer but probably it was meant to be.

DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?

MK : I think computers and AI will unavoidably be playing a big role, but there are things that I like to think only a human can only articulate – so I hope there will still be a place for us in the process.

DL: Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?

MK : Not sure that I have fans, but I am just an email away if anyone wants to discuss design!