Japanese Design Principles and Koffer
Japanese Design Principles and Koffer
A few months ago, we explored design through the ten principles defined by Dieter Rams: an approach to good design rooted in functionality, honesty, simplicity and reducing things to their essential form.
Now we want to shift perspective and look towards Japan.
Japanese aesthetics do not seek excess or demand attention. They value balance over symmetry, simplicity over ornament and meaning over complexity. Shaped over centuries, this philosophy continues to influence the way designers around the world conceive objects and spaces.
Restraint, authenticity and beauty in what is essential.
From this way of understanding aesthetics come principles such as Fukinsei, Kanso, Shibui, Shizen, Yūgen, Seijaku and Datsuzoku. Seven concepts that offer a very different perspective from the Western tradition through which to observe contemporary design. And that is exactly what we want to do: use them as a new lens through which to look at Koffer.
Viewed from this perspective, interesting connections begin to emerge: in its simplicity, its organic forms, the freedom of its compositions, the way it interacts with space and its ability to move beyond more conventional solutions.
Fukinsei: finding balance in imperfection
Fukinsei is rooted in asymmetry and in accepting what is not perfectly regular.
Rather than constantly seeking symmetry and order, it suggests that a composition can find its balance precisely through the elements that make it irregular.
Applied to spatial design, it encourages us to move away from overly rigid and predictable layouts. Balance does not have to mean repetition or symmetry.
Kanso: removing what is unnecessary
Kanso is about simplicity, but not simplicity as an absence of design.
It means removing the superfluous so that only what truly adds value remains.
Form, function and material should all have a reason to be there. The result may appear simple, although achieving that simplicity is probably one of the most complex parts of the design process.
Interestingly, this principle brings us quite close to some of the ideas Dieter Rams developed from a completely different cultural background and context.
Shibui: design without the need to attract attention
Shibui represents a discreet, restrained kind of beauty, far removed from anything ostentatious.
It does not seek to provoke an immediate reaction. Its value reveals itself gradually, as we come to better understand the object, its proportions, its materials and the way it responds to a need.
At a time when so many designs compete for our attention, Shibui suggests almost the opposite: good design does not always need to stand out.
Shizen can be translated as naturalness, although its meaning goes beyond simply incorporating natural elements.
It is about making things feel as though they belong exactly where they are, without appearing forced.
In design, this can be expressed through organic forms, materials, proportions, or simply through an element’s ability to integrate naturally and coherently within a space.
Designing in such a way that the effort behind it is never apparent.
Yūgen: what design subtly suggests
Yūgen is probably one of the most difficult concepts to translate directly into Western design.
It is associated with subtlety, depth and with what does not need to be fully revealed in order to be understood.
Applied to design, it reminds us that not everything needs to be explicit.
Some objects and spaces can evoke a feeling without relying on obvious elements. Part of their richness lies precisely in what they suggest and leave open to interpretation.
Seijaku: designing for calm
Seijaku embraces ideas such as tranquillity, stillness and serenity.
And perhaps it is more relevant today than ever.
We work surrounded by constant stimulation: screens, conversations, information and movement. That is why designing a workspace is no longer simply about organising functions.
We also need to consider how people feel when they use it.
Creating places that allow us to focus, pause, or simply reduce visual and environmental noise is also part of good design.
Datsuzoku: breaking away from convention
Datsuzoku means freeing ourselves from conventions, habits and preconceived solutions.
It is about questioning why something has to remain the way it has always been.
In design, this way of thinking is particularly relevant because it encourages us to reconsider typologies, uses and behaviours that are often taken for granted.
A table does not always have to be used in the same way. An office does not have to be organised around fixed workstations. And a sofa does not necessarily have to be a closed, immovable object.
What happens when we look at Koffer through these seven principles?
Its modularity makes it possible to create asymmetrical compositions and explore different forms of balance within a space, bringing us closer to Fukinsei.
The clarity of its forms and the absence of unnecessary elements connect with Kanso.
Its character does not rely on excessive ornamentation, but on its proportions, geometry, upholstery and compositional possibilities — an approach we can relate to Shibui.
Its organic forms and the way its different modules can be integrated into a variety of settings bring us closer to Shizen.
And when Koffer is used to create areas for meeting, relaxing or conversation within larger workspaces, it can also generate smaller environments for pause and calm, closely linked to Seijaku.
But perhaps Datsuzoku offers one of the most interesting connections.
Koffer challenges the traditional idea of the sofa as a fixed, predefined piece. It does not impose a single configuration or a single way of using it. Instead, the modules, the project and the needs of the space shape the final result.
The product stops imposing a solution and becomes a tool for creating one.
Dieter Rams’ vision and the principles of Japanese aesthetics come from very different contexts.
And yet, there are clear points of connection.
Removing what is unnecessary, respecting function, pursuing simplicity and creating objects that retain their relevance beyond passing trends are ideas that can emerge from very different perspectives.
Perhaps that is why it is useful, from time to time, to change the way we look at a product.
Because analysing design is not only about materials, forms or functions.
It is also about understanding the ideas that can help us see objects, and the spaces we create with them, from a different perspective.
Different cultures, the same question
