Exploring the Life and Legacy of Shiro Kuramata (1934 – 1991)

Shiro Kuramata is a Japanese interior and furniture designer who has executed many interiors for Issey Miyake shops. His best-known pieces are his Glass Chair (1976) and homage to Hoffmann, Begin the Beguine (1985). Kuramata’s interior designs make use of expanded lattice metal and moiré effects. His portfolio includes furniture in irregular forms and large lamps made from milk-white plastic sheets heated in an electric kiln.

Education

From 1953 to 1956, he attended Tokyo Municipal Polytechnic High School, where he learned about woodworking and living design.

Groundbreaking household items

Shiro Kuramata (1934 – 1991) was a furniture and interior designer from Japan. He was born and raised in Tokyo, where he continued to work. Kuramata trained in architecture and, later, cabinet-making. He has created many interiors for the shops of internationally known clothes designer Issey Miyake. Perhaps his best-known furniture pieces are his glass chair (1976) and his homage to Hoffmann, Begin the Begume (1985).

Kuramata Chair

Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata created a unique chair that was both roomy and see-through, using common industrial materials like steel mesh. Named “How High the Moon,” this 1986 piece shined like it was bathed in moonlight due to its nickel plating. The welding was so precise that the joints were nearly invisible, giving the chair a floating appearance. Displayed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art until November 20, 1994, the chair embodied key Japanese design principles such as innovative use of modern materials, high craftsmanship, and simple lines, elevating it from mere furniture to a spiritual expression.

How High the Moon Armchair

The “How High the Moon” armchair, designed by Shiro Kuramata in 1986, exemplifies his innovative approach to furniture design. Crafted entirely from nickel-plated steel mesh, the chair reinterprets the traditional upholstered armchair into a transparent, ethereal form that challenges conventional perceptions of materiality and structure. Its delicate appearance belies its structural integrity, embodying Kuramata’s fascination with lightness and dematerialization. The chair’s name, inspired by the jazz standard “How High the Moon,” reflects its harmonious blend of art and design. Produced by Vitra between 1986 and 2009, this piece remains a celebrated example of postmodern design, highlighting Kuramata’s enduring influence on contemporary aesthetics.

Biography

He started working at Teikokukizai in 1953, making furniture there. Subsequently, he worked in design at big Japanese stores like Matsuya. He started his design studio in Tokyo in 1965. His style was simple but mixed Eastern and Western ideas.

Summary of Works

His first notable piece of furniture was the 1970 Revolving Cabinet. In 1984, he designed interiors for Issey Miyake’s shops in Paris in 1986 and 1987. In 1987, he created the Lucchino Bar and Caffe Oyx in Tokyo’s Seibu store.

Since 1965, he has created almost 300 stores and restaurants. Additionally, despite designing furniture for Aoshima and Ishimaru, he is best known for his 1970 Furniture in Irregular Forms collection for Fujiko. Moreover, Cappellini International Interiors’ 1970 wavy 18-drawer chests garnered him accolades while exhibiting his odd and surreal sense of humour.

His Blues in the Night table included dozens of red diode tubes lit inside translucent acrylic, making it the ultimate statement in high-tech romance. His vast 1972 lamps were made from heated milk-white plastic sheets stretched over poles to create naturally formed curves.

Collaborations

From 1975, he advised the Mainichi Design Awards. He opened an office in Paris on Rue Royale. In 1988, he bought a historic house in Paris. He designed the Copacabana handbag for women.

He worked with the Memphis group and Ettore Sottsass from 1981-83. They made several designs. These include a 1972 Fantéme lamp, a 1978 chest of drawers named Marilyn Monroe, and various tables and cabinets from 1981 to 1987.

Other work included; 

• 1964 49 Drawers by Aoshima Shoten, 
• 1968 Pyramid furniture by Ishimaru, 
• 1970 revolving cabinet by Ishimaru, 
• 1976 glass Shiro Kuramata chair for Mhoya Glass Shop, 
• 1977 Solaris by Aoshima Shoten, 
• 1983 Star Peace Table by Ishimaru, 
• 1985 Begin the Beguine chair homage to Josef Hoffmann, 
• 1986 How High the Moon metal-mesh chair by Kurosaki (later, by Vitra), 
• 1986 Sing Sing Sing armchair by XO, and 
• 1986 Drawers in Irregular Form by Cappellini International Interiors, 
• 1988 BK 86000 bar stool by Pastoe, and 
• 1989 Miss Blanche plexiglass chair.

Recognition

His work was featured in many shows, including the 1978 ‘MA Espace/temps au Japon’ exhibition, the Paris Musée des Arts Décoratifs, and various Memphis exhibitions. He won the Mainichi Design Award in 1972 and the Japan Culture Design Award in 1981.

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL

Roux, C. (2014). Design classic: How high the moon armchair by shiro kuramata. FT.Com,

The Illustrated Dictionary of Twentieth Century Designers. (1991). United Kingdom: B. Mitchell.

More Japanese Designers

Related links

• Sardine Collector’s Cabinet by Michael Marriot
• How High the Moon armchair (1986) by Shiro Kuramata
• The Curious History of the Writing Desk
• Shop Drawings for Craftsman Interiors
• Japanese Design Since 1945: A Complete Sourcebook