In 1964, the year Tokyo first hosted the Olympics, a startlingly unique housing complex was built in the Jingumae district of Harajuku: Villa Bianca (White House). It was the realization of design ideas for housing which Kanzo Ishida, founder of Kowa Shoji Co., Ltd., a real estate developer, had gathered on a trip to Europe and the United States and later shared with architect Eiji Hotta. Villa Bianca houses a total of 45 units. The exterior design, consisting of a number of stacked, cube-like containers, impressed many at the time, and was featured as a paragon of the modern housing complex in various international publications, most notably LIFE. Nowadays, the design of the building remains central to its place in Tokyo’s architectural history, but it is nonetheless possible to neglect how revolutionary it was at the time. Brochures from the past describe it as "world-class," and it was a truly advanced high-end apartment complex, with state-of-the-art equipment, such as a central heating system, a built-in kitchen, and aluminum sash windows.
A small room, no bigger than 17-square feet, is located on the rooftop of Villa Bianca. It had originally served as an "observation room," which residents were free to use, but, in the past decade or so, it had been repurposed as a meeting room for a design firm. After this firm moved out, we at Kinfolk became the next tenants of this unique space.
When we considered what to do with this empty, box-like room, the first image that came to mind was of a study with antique furniture. After contemplating various ideas for a while, we visited Yoshiyuki Mizoguchi of Gallery-Sign for insight.
Mizoguchi's Gallery-Sign was established in 2005 as the first gallery in Asia to showcase furniture by French designers Jean Prouvé and Charlotte Perriand. It was launched with the aim of communicating the key role this pair played in post-war Japan. Having published a number of books and organized several successful exhibitions, Mizoguchi is a man of many talents. His commitment to his work goes well beyond the metaphorical word "passionate" and is deeply evident in his practice, which is indeed captivating. Perhaps because of this, his friendships span the globe, and his gallery’s collection features elusive masterpieces that have punctuated the history of art, design, and architecture. Receiving support from Mizoguchi and Gallery-Sign made perfect sense – and it is truly an honor to have the opportunity to collaborate with him.
One year after its conception, the small space on the rooftop of Villa Bianca, the Kinfolk Case Study Room, is now graced with beautiful furniture. The furniture and layout will be altered and re-arranged frequently to create and explore our ideal “study.” Not only will the process be shared on this site, but the furniture shown in the photos will also be available for purchase. So, if you are interested, feel free to contact us. If this site can serve as a small inspiration to those who visit, it will be considered a great success for us.
Delving deeply into home, work, style and culture, Kinfolk promotes quality of life and connects a global community of creative professionals from London to Tokyo. Since 2011, Kinfolk has become a leading lifestyle authority with a dynamic mix of print and online media, including a quarterly magazine sold in over 100 countries in four languages, daily posts on Kinfolk.com and bestselling books.
The gallery opened in Ebisu, Tokyo in 2005. Aiming to communicate the role that Jean Prouvé and Charlotte Perriand played in postwar Japan, it was Asia’s first gallery to specialize in exhibiting the furniture of French designers. They have organized and contributed to the Sori Yanagi (2009-10) and the Charlotte Perriand and Japan exhibitions (2011-12). In 2012, with the cooperation of Catherine Prouvé, art historian and daughter of Jean Prouvé, Jean Prouvé: Concepteur-Constructeur was published by Hankyu Communications (now CCC Media House).
In the same year, 2012, Mizoguchi also founded Japan Space Design Preservation Research, focusing on the works of Junzo Sakakura, Kenzo Tange and Sori Yanagi, all architects and designers from the same time period. In cooperation with national and international galleries and art museums, their activities include exhibition planning, research and the popularization of Japanese design.
In 2015, Mizoguchi opened Gallery-Sign Hiroshima in the Peace City of Hiroshima, and, in 2022, established Archives Gallery-Sign. The archive will begin full-scale cultural activities this year, specializing in the reproduction and sale of furniture used by architects in their own residences and the publication of books of their work. All profits from the sales will go to a fund for the repair of historical housing.
In 1964, the year Tokyo first hosted the Olympics, a startlingly unique housing complex was built in the Jingumae district of Harajuku: Villa Bianca (White House). It was the realization of design ideas for housing which Kanzo Ishida, founder of Kowa Shoji Co., Ltd., a real estate developer, had gathered on a trip to Europe and the United States and later shared with architect Eiji Hotta. Villa Bianca houses a total of 45 units. The exterior design, consisting of a number of stacked, cube-like containers, impressed many at the time, and was featured as a paragon of the modern housing complex in various international publications, most notably LIFE. Nowadays, the design of the building remains central to its place in Tokyo’s architectural history, but it is nonetheless possible to neglect how revolutionary it was at the time. Brochures from the past describe it as "world-class," and it was a truly advanced high-end apartment complex, with state-of-the-art equipment, such as a central heating system, a built-in kitchen, and aluminum sash windows.
A small room, no bigger than 17-square feet, is located on the rooftop of Villa Bianca. It had originally served as an "observation room," which residents were free to use, but, in the past decade or so, it had been repurposed as a meeting room for a design firm. After this firm moved out, we at Kinfolk became the next tenants of this unique space.
When we considered what to do with this empty, box-like room, the first image that came to mind was of a study with antique furniture. After contemplating various ideas for a while, we visited Yoshiyuki Mizoguchi of Gallery-Sign for insight.
Mizoguchi's Gallery-Sign was established in 2005 as the first gallery in Asia to showcase furniture by French designers Jean Prouvé and Charlotte Perriand. It was launched with the aim of communicating the key role this pair played in post-war Japan. Having published a number of books and organized several successful exhibitions, Mizoguchi is a man of many talents. His commitment to his work goes well beyond the metaphorical word "passionate" and is deeply evident in his practice, which is indeed captivating. Perhaps because of this, his friendships span the globe, and his gallery’s collection features elusive masterpieces that have punctuated the history of art, design, and architecture. Receiving support from Mizoguchi and Gallery-Sign made perfect sense – and it is truly an honor to have the opportunity to collaborate with him.
One year after its conception, the small space on the rooftop of Villa Bianca, the Kinfolk Case Study Room, is now graced with beautiful furniture. The furniture and layout will be altered and re-arranged frequently to create and explore our ideal “study.” Not only will the process be shared on this site, but the furniture shown in the photos will also be available for purchase. So, if you are interested, feel free to contact us. If this site can serve as a small inspiration to those who visit, it will be considered a great success for us.
Delving deeply into home, work, style and culture, Kinfolk promotes quality of life and connects a global community of creative professionals from London to Tokyo. Since 2011, Kinfolk has become a leading lifestyle authority with a dynamic mix of print and online media, including a quarterly magazine sold in over 100 countries in four languages, daily posts on Kinfolk.com and bestselling books.
The gallery opened in Ebisu, Tokyo in 2005. Aiming to communicate the role that Jean Prouvé and Charlotte Perriand played in postwar Japan, it was Asia’s first gallery to specialize in exhibiting the furniture of French designers. They have organized and contributed to the Sori Yanagi (2009-10) and the Charlotte Perriand and Japan exhibitions (2011-12). In 2012, with the cooperation of Catherine Prouvé, art historian and daughter of Jean Prouvé, Jean Prouvé: Concepteur-Constructeur was published by Hankyu Communications (now CCC Media House).
In the same year, 2012, Mizoguchi also founded Japan Space Design Preservation Research, focusing on the works of Junzo Sakakura, Kenzo Tange and Sori Yanagi, all architects and designers from the same time period. In cooperation with national and international galleries and art museums, their activities include exhibition planning, research and the popularization of Japanese design.
In 2015, Mizoguchi opened Gallery-Sign Hiroshima in the Peace City of Hiroshima, and, in 2022, established Archives Gallery-Sign. The archive will begin full-scale cultural activities this year, specializing in the reproduction and sale of furniture used by architects in their own residences and the publication of books of their work. All profits from the sales will go to a fund for the repair of historical housing.
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