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2026.04.27|

DESIGNERS

The price of the most famous house in the world

AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol.179 An interior design magazine mentioned that the Stahl House in Hollywood, Los Angeles, is up for sale for $25 million. The Stahl House, designed by Pierre Koenig and photographed by Julius Schulman, is one of the most famous houses in the world and is also known as Case Study House #22. In 1954, Buck Stahl, a former professional football player and sign painter, purchased a vacant lot near his home in the Hollywood Hills for $13,500 and began preparing the land himself for construction. In 1957, he commissioned young architect Pierre Koenig to design and build the house. Construction began in September 1959 and was completed in May 1960, with construction costs of $34,000 and the pool costing $3,651. When I first visited the house for location scouting in 2006, his wife was still living there and in good health. The couple told me that when they built this house, they acquired it cheaply in a place nobody would even look at, had trouble getting construction vehicles in, and had to level the ground themselves because they didn't have much money. They also said that the building itself cost only $30,000. The Stahl House, built as the 22nd house in the "Case Study House" program, an experimental housing construction program organized by the American architectural magazine "Arts and Architecture" to introduce the appeal of inexpensive prefabricated housing to the American middle class, was photographed by photographer Julius Schulman immediately after its completion and became famous as the world's most famous house, known for its sense of openness and views of Hollywood. I heard stories from the wife about the construction process, how it feels to live in, and her fond memories of it being used in various magazines, movies, and TV dramas. Because of the large glass area, it was cold in winter, the afternoon sun was hot in summer, and the sound of the roof when it rained was loud, so when they first moved in, it was not comfortable at all. However, he laughed as he told us that it was also fun because it became famous through Shulman's book on architecture, and he got to meet celebrities during various photo shoots. After his wife passed away, his son inherited the house and opened it to the public on a paid, reservation-only basis, and we have guided several clients there on our architectural tours. Each time we visited, it seemed to get neater, but with the sponsorship of a local furniture store, generic mid-century furniture and other outdated pieces were being placed inside, and we realized that a house loses its reality when it is no longer lived in. When Mrs. Stahl lived there, it had just the right amount of openness... It seems that his sister and her husband own it now. Living in a house completed in 1960 for nearly 50 years is rare in America, where people move around a lot, and it may be truly rare for a Koenig building to remain unrenovated and continue to be lived in by a single owner. The fact that this house, in its original condition, was put up for sale became a hot topic in the architectural industry. Upon investigating who held the sales rights, it turned out to be The Agency, a real estate group that sells luxury homes, and a group company of Blair Chan, who had assisted me on my West Coast architectural tour. When it was put on the market at the end of last year, the price was $25 million (approximately 4 billion yen), but it has now dropped to $20 million (32 billion yen). This house is designated as a historic building in Los Angeles, and renovations are restricted, but its originality from when it was built is considered valuable, and it is attracting attention from art collectors, just like paintings and other works of art. If the deal goes through, it may become the most expensive 2LDK house in the world, with a land area of 1,133 square meters/343 tsubo and a building area of 204 square meters. The Bailey House, Case Study House #21 designed and built by Pierre Koenig, which I visited the year before last, was a slightly smaller house, but it was sold in 2006 to a Korean female art collector for $318 million, which was the second most expensive modern house at the time and was said to be a turning point in architecture being traded as art. In recent years, the selling price of famous buildings has reached $20 million, comparable to that of works of art. Unlike art, however, they are subject to high fixed costs such as property taxes and fire insurance, making them more expensive than works of art... I will be attending the Milan Salone again this year. The 1970s were very popular due to the American-originated interior design trend, but I wonder what kind of proposals will be made this year. I think the direction of sales will have shifted from previous important clients such as the Middle East, which is affected by the Iran War, and China, which is experiencing an economic downturn. Although airfares have nearly doubled due to the suspension of flights through the Middle East, the hotel I booked for December has vacancies and is less than half the price of last year, suggesting that the number of visitors has decreased considerably. This year's Milan Salone has seen an increase in admission fees to the exhibition halls, but with the decrease in major brands, I feel that it's time for those attending to consider whether it's still an event worth going to. I am considering a report seminar, so please look forward to it! (Creative Director Noboru Seto)

2026.03.30|

DESIGNERS

Are digital cameras no longer necessary?

AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol.178 I recently switched to the latest iPhone 17 Pro. Perhaps because it's been evolving gradually, I haven't felt like there's been a dramatic change in the last few years. However, with the iPhone 17, the camera function has improved even further, and I feel that my DSLR camera is becoming less and less necessary. For the past few years, I've only used my DSLR camera for studio photography for print catalogs or as a selfie camera for web seminars. I remember first using an iPhone was the second-generation iPhone 3G in 2008. Am I the only one who thinks it's only been 16 years since the excitement of first touching an iPhone...? Before that, I carried a flip phone and sent short messages with just text using button operation, but it was very convenient, and although the screen was small, I was happy to look at the photos I took, and I thought that a flip phone that fit in my pocket was the best. The iPhone changed things dramatically. The large touch-sensitive screen was revolutionary, and I was amazed that I could send PC emails and search the internet, and that I could have a computer the size of my own. That said, the iPhone 3G had 8GB of storage, a fixed-focus 2-megapixel camera (the iPhone 17 has 48 megapixels), no zoom, flash, autofocus, or image stabilization, and couldn't even shoot video. The cameras on other companies' flip phones were still superior. At that time, the camera used for overseas coverage, such as at the Milan Salone, was the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX3, a high-end compact digital camera with 10 megapixels and image stabilization, making it several steps ahead in terms of camera functionality. Even so, when taking photos of dimly lit interiors or at exhibitions like the Milan Salone, you had to keep your arm still and move the camera as little as possible to get a clear picture, otherwise you'd end up with a dark, blurry image. Compact digital cameras have since evolved with the development of mirrorless SLR cameras and other technologies that improve image quality with optical and digital image stabilization, and the iPhone's camera functionality still lags behind. Initially, the iPhone camera was like an afterthought, but the evolution of the iPhone camera continued. From the iPhone 6s in 2015, it reached 12 megapixels, finally catching up with digital cameras. Then, from the Pro series starting with the iPhone 11 Pro in 2019, Night Mode was added, and the image quality dramatically improved with three lenses: ultra-wide, wide, and telephoto. Apple used advertising photos taken with an iPhone as part of their "Shot on iPhone" campaign. I learned this from graphic designer Hiroshi Takahara, who accompanied us on a catalog shoot on the West Coast of the United States in 2017. In Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Takahara's daughter's American husband, who was in charge of Apple's global advertising campaign and was the person who designed those monochrome advertisements. Until then, I thought that photos taken with an iPhone were not suitable for printing, so my perception changed when I learned that those vivid and impressive photo advertisements were not fakes and were actually taken with an iPhone 6. I myself started using iPhone photos for interviews from the iPhone 11 Pro in 2019. Even when shooting indoors, it can capture bright and wide images, comparable to the photos taken with the mirrorless SLR I was using at the time. The sharpness of the shadows and the contrast when viewed on a monitor or projector made it suitable for interior photography. Also, the ultra-wide-angle shots that were distorted around the edges on my digital camera were naturally corrected on the iPhone. This is because the iPhone itself has PC-like correction functions to make photos look good. The camera function of the iPhone 17 that I recently acquired has evolved even further, and what surprised me the most was the addition of a dedicated camera button. In my iPhone interior photography seminar, I mentioned that the volume buttons on the side of the screen can be used as a shutter button, but now there is a lightly pressed shutter button on the left side, and this button can be used for zoom, depth of field, exposure, and focus lock. I thought, "This one device is all I need." The photo editing software on the iPhone 17 has also evolved. I used to use Snapseed, which is distributed for free by Google and can be used on the iPhone, or Photoshop on my PC, but now it is possible to correct perspective and delete unwanted parts, so I thought this one device would be sufficient. The Milan Furniture Fair will be held from April 21st. I've been visiting Milan since 1986, 40 years ago. Back then, I would bring a paper map and a film camera that could only take a maximum of 36 photos. Lately, however, I use my iPhone to check Google Maps, and I can do all my work, interviews, and photo editing with just this one device. Plus, I save everything to iCloud, so even if it gets stolen, I know I'll still have the images. It really is a convenient age. But photography is all about composition, so try to keep your photos as horizontal and vertical as possible! (Noboru Seto, Creative Director)

2026.01.29|

DESIGNERS

What is timeless design?

AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol. 176, the 2026 New Year's American West Coast Architecture Seminar, commemorates our 40th anniversary and looks back on our catalog shoots on the US West Coast, which began in 2006. To this end, we carefully selected architecture from our archives of photography over the past 20 years and reviewed the images. The architectures we selected this time were homes photographed 20 years ago in 2006, 18 years ago in 2008, and 13 years ago in 2013. Looking at the images, they feel so dated that it's hard to believe they're interiors from over 10 years ago. Looking at fashion magazines and interior design magazines, anything over 10 years old can seem outdated and dated. However, when I looked at the homes we used for the shoot, they still looked fresh. I was surprised that we'd made the right choice, and relieved to see our catalog photos. As a furniture designer, I believe that interior design, unlike fashion, is something that lasts in daily life, and I've always believed in neutral, standard designs that aren't easily influenced by trends. One of the homes we chose was a house used for filming in 2013. Built in the 1980s on the Malibu coastline and renovated in 2008, it was home to a retired couple in their 60s. Three years before our shoot, this house was used for filming Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt, and the interior is exactly the same as it was during filming. Because it was an actual space in which someone lived, it felt realistic and like the home of a wealthy Major League Baseball player. The interior, with its refreshing furniture, art, and accessories, still looks fresh and timeless today. The furniture and art are unpretentious and neutral, suggesting the decorators selected modern, durable pieces for an elderly couple. I was 45 when we filmed, and I had always dreamed of living in a house like this when I turned 60, but now I'm 63. It was destroyed in the Pacific Palisades fire last January, and it's a shame we can't see it again. The Beverly Hills home we shot at at the same time was owned by an agent for Hollywood actors like Tobey Maguire. Built in 1957, it was purchased in 2010 and renovated over two years. The entire house was covered in pristine terrazzo flooring. The owner had spent a year renovating the terrazzo floors, crafting them to resemble the originals. I remember being careful to avoid damaging the floors during filming. The large living room featured a large dog statue by Yoshitomo Nara and a vintage Vladimir Kagan sofa from the 1950s. It was a rather understated piece, even among Vladimir Kagan's designs. During location scouting, it seemed basic and I didn't pay it much attention. Looking back, however, the kidney sofa is a design that has been popular in American modern interiors for the past few years. The eclectic style it combined with modern furniture 13 years ago was ahead of its time. I've visited over 200 homes during location scouting and architectural tours, but designs that were popular at the time tend to feel somewhat dated. In particular, interiors collected during the craze of Eames and Prouvé chairs tend to feel dated. Just like fashion, once a trend fades, it tends to look dated. Looking through the archives this time, I felt that furniture and interiors with a neutral impression that are not influenced by trends retain a fresh feel. Rather than focusing on one design direction, an eclectic style that incorporates vintage furniture and lighting seems timeless. Another important thing is the importance of clean finishes, maintaining a clean look even in shabby chic interiors. This can also be said of today's youth fashion, but pairing oversized vintage denim with clean tops and shoes is a timeless style. Looking through our 20-year archive of the US West Coast, I felt that our catalog imagery still looks fresh even with the passage of time. As a designer, I was pleased to see that our designs still look fresh 10 or 20 years from now. It reaffirmed my commitment to designing furniture that can be used in timeless interiors. Our US West Coast seminar begins this week. You will also be able to compare the original interior with the before and after of our products. Look forward to it! (Creative Director Seto Noboru)

2025.12.26|

DESIGNERS

Memories of Los Angeles' Master Architects

AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol.175 2025 is drawing to a close. What kind of year has it been for everyone? This year marks the 40th anniversary of our company's founding, and our 41st year begins in July 2026. Since our founding in 1985, each year has been a whirlwind, but there have been several projects that have changed my work and my outlook on life. One of them was being present at studio shoots for catalogs and magazine advertisements. In the 1980s, print advertising was crucial, and the quality of product photography, along with advertising design, determined product sales. Attending studio shoots from a young age taught me the importance of product viewing angles and presentation. This involved product renderings (sketches), which taught me about the balance of form that creates a cool look. Subsequent shoots taught me so much about design work, from lighting and shadows to creating a three-dimensional effect and balancing layouts in set photos. Every shoot was truly educational. My shoots on the West Coast of the United States, which began in 2007, were like an adventure every time, and they had the greatest impact on my own design. When I began shooting in the United States, I was fortunate to meet Yasuko, a Los Angeles-based film producer. She was well-versed in fashion designers, architects, decorators, and art, and we were able to use her selected homes for location scouting and filming. Similarly, the West Coast architecture tours we conducted with our long-time clients allowed me to experience true interior spaces by seeing homes where people actually live, offices where people actually work, and buildings in use, rather than just publicly accessible exhibits. This experience has become the foundation of my work today. This was before the iPhone and Google Maps were released, so I drove a rental car with a map in hand, unloaded a 40-foot container full of goods with a forklift, sorted it, loaded it onto the truck, rented filming equipment, removed furniture from the owner's home, delivered our products, photographed it, and then returned it to its original state and cleaned it. This was a process I could never have experienced even in Japan. Recently, American architect Frank Gehry passed away. I was reminded of the time I photographed Gehry's masterpiece, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. The building resembles a rose petal set in open stainless steel, and just seeing it up close made my heart race. Inside, the interior, modeled after a giant Douglas fir tree, made me yearn for the opportunity to shoot here while experiencing Gehry's architecture. I knew that car manufacturers like Audi and other well-known companies had used the exterior for filming, but renting a large building for filming would require a lot of equipment and personnel, and my biggest concern was whether a small company like ours could rent such a famous public building, one that represents Los Angeles. However, thanks to Yasuko's generosity, permission to film was quickly granted. We were even able to film throughout the entire building, and I was surprised to find that we were even able to film inside the main concert hall. The long access route and security hurdles made filming difficult, so we had to squeeze in a break in a Philharmonic rehearsal in the main hall. The Walt Disney Concert Hall project, which began in 1987, was originally planned to be constructed of stone, but was later changed to cheaper stainless steel. This actually resulted in a building with a distinctive presence. The backyard features a rose fountain made from pieces of Delftware, a favorite of Disney's wife, Lillian, who donated a large sum to the building. The undulating stainless steel panels were originally mirror-finished, but after complaints from neighboring apartment complexes about reflective heat, they were given a vibration treatment and matte finish. Remnants of that mirror finish remain in the interior corridors. We were allowed to film in the main hall, but we were pressed for time due to equipment removal during rehearsals. It's a truly memorable place, as we filmed in front of the pipe organ in the main hall, impressed by the staff who were filming for the first time. There are several Gehry buildings in LA. The Conrad Los Angeles, a hotel in front of the Disney Concert Hall that opened in 2022, and the building with its giant binoculars in Venice Beach are city landmarks. I've visited most of Gehry's buildings in LA, but I regret missing Gehry's own home, which I wanted to visit on an architecture tour. A large area was destroyed in a massive fire near Los Angeles at the end of January this year. Looking at Google Maps, several of the homes I visited were gone. Among them was a house designed by Neuth, and it is a great pity that such a valuable piece of architecture has been lost. At the end of January, we plan to hold an architectural seminar on the house we used in our catalogue photo shoot. Thank you very much for your continued support in 2025. We hope you all have a wonderful year ahead. (Creative Director Seto Noboru)

2025.11.30|

DESIGNERS

What is biophilic design?

AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol.174 Our 40th Anniversary Party and New Product Launch at our Roppongi Head Office have concluded. We are extremely grateful to the nearly 800 guests who attended our 40th anniversary celebration. We were delighted to meet with many nostalgic and long-distance visitors. After viewing our early drawings looking back over the past 40 years and our model timeline, we received many kind comments, such as, "It brought back memories," "The subtle changes in line thickness in the hand-drawn drawings made them look beautiful," and "I'd like to see them made into posters." We also received feedback from many visitors who were unable to touch the exhibits. However, our 40th anniversary drawings and models will be on display at our Roppongi Head Office until the end of January, so you can enjoy them alongside our new product displays. Please visit our Roppongi Head Office showroom. At the launch of our new 2026 model line, we introduced a product that evokes the 1980s, aiming for an effortless, classic, modern, and casual design for adults. We also provided an explanation of the new products we added to our existing lineup to create even more appealing variations. As an additional variation, we announced a new evolution of our organically shaped kidney sofa, which was released in 2023. This kidney sofa is currently one of our best-selling products. In a previous column, I described an organic kidney sofa placed as the centerpiece of a penthouse on Billionaire's Row in New York, describing it as an interior based on the concept of biophilic design. I spoke about this at the new product exhibition. "Biophilic" is a portmanteau of "bio" (life/nature) and "philia" (love/hobby). I'd like to briefly discuss biophilic design, which I briefly mentioned in that column. Biophilic design is a design method that incorporates the innate human desire to connect with nature into architecture and interior spaces. It aims to improve physical and mental health and productivity by actively utilizing natural elements. Based on the theory of American biologist Edward Osborne Wilson, this theory posits that humans have an instinctive desire to connect with other living organisms and nature. Since the late 1970s, Wilson has been involved in research into global biodiversity conservation. In 1984, he published "Biophilia," exploring the evolutionary and psychological reasons for humans' attraction to natural environments. The term "biophilia" was first introduced by psychoanalyst Erich Fromm in 1973 and later popularized by Wilson in his 1984 book, "Biophilia." This work popularized the term and influenced the formation of modern conservation ethics. The biophilia hypothesis suggests that humans have an evolutionary inherited need to connect with nature and other living things for survival and personal fulfillment. This idea also applies to everyday life, where people travel and spend money to visit national parks and nature reserves, relax on beaches, hike, climb mountains, and experience nature. When it comes to homebuying in the United States, people tend to spend more on homes with natural views. Buyers are willing to pay 7% more for homes with beautiful landscapes, 58% more for homes with water views, and 127% more for waterfront homes. People also value animal companionship, with 1 million owning dogs and 6,020 million owning cats. This trend has only intensified during the COVID-4,710 pandemic. In Japan, camping and glamping, a way to spend time in nature, became popular during the pandemic, and the widespread use of plants in interiors may have been inspired by biophilia theory. Organically designed furniture is also increasingly being incorporated into interiors, with round sofas from the 1970s being used, and reproductions of that era are now common. Organic sofas like the Kidney Sofa are becoming increasingly popular in American interiors, and our Kidney Sofa is also gaining popularity. At this age, I've come to realize once again that there's a reason for everything, including design. Our new 2026 Comfort Chair is inspired by the 1980s. This design aims for a slightly brighter future, as if liberating us from the anxious society of the 1970s. This week we will be explaining the concept in Osaka and Nagoya. Look forward to it! (Creative Director Seto Noboru)

2025.10.31|

DESIGNERS

The 1980s were the analog era

AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol.173 I used to think that the popularity of the 1980s was limited to parody dance during the bubble era, but now not only fashion and art but also TV dramas are being made, and the culture of the pre-bubble 1980s is heating up again. In an era before the internet was widespread, as a university student in the early 1980s, my main sources of information were magazines like Bijutsu Techo for art and Popeye and Brutus for fashion and culture, and among these, Ryuko Tsushin was at the forefront of trends in visuals, fashion, photography, etc. Ryuko Tsushin, now out of print, was one of the oldest fashion magazines in Japan, having been launched in 1966 as "Mori Hanae Ryuko Tsushin." As art directors, renowned figures such as Tadanori Yokoo, Katsumi Asaba, Hironori Nagatomo, and Hiroshi Takahara were involved, and as photographers, Kishin Shinoyama, Nobuyoshi Araki, Koichi Inagoshi, Yoshihiko Ueda, and other leading figures of each era competed for the magazine. It served as a showcase for Japan's cutting-edge art and culture scene, and was a must-read for art students. For over 20 years, we have been working with Hiroshi Takahara, one of its art directors, as art director for our catalogs and photography. Now, together with his son, Masato Takahara, the two are working together on the photography and catalog for this year's new 2026 model. As I wrote in a previous column, Hiroshi Takahara has been working on the artwork for the record jackets of Tatsuro Yamashita, a musician I listened to as a student, and he is the man who discovered Tatsuro Yamashita and Hideto Suzuki. I was truly fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with such a great person. He helped me move furniture during this shoot, and I truly admire his work ethic and admire him. Forty years ago, in the 1980s, when I entered the workforce and joined ADcore, Hiroshi Takahara was a leading figure in the media. I remember him excitedly reporting to me that a classmate I shared a room with in my student days had joined the agency. I mentioned that while we were searching through old drawings and materials for a new shoot to use in our 40th anniversary celebrations in November, a young member of our staff was surprised to find some old advertisements. While we can now digitally view the finished product, nearly 30 years ago, advertisements were printed on paper, and text was sent to a typesetter. Even then, the spacing between letters often didn't line up, so designers had to manually paste and adjust the text. For photos, we only sketched the layout and attached positive photographs. For text color, we used DIC paper color samples. Takahara explained that even magazine editing required a significant amount of time spent creating mountains of paper manuscripts, as every page was printed on paper. Nowadays, we can see samples in color and the finished product is always accurate, but in the past, we had to imagine and check photos and advertisements using cut-and-paste monochrome data, and then trust the designer and photographer to finalize the finished product. Now, with digital photography and easy image retouching, we don't have to worry about dirt or dust on the white floors and walls of studios—we can just erase them in Photoshop later, add depth or shadows to specific areas, or even embed images. We've even entered an age where we can create photos digitally without taking them. Back in the day, digital retouching wasn't an option, so we had to pay close attention to shading, adjusting the lighting to create a three-dimensional effect, and even checking for dust and dirt on the floor, all while holding our breath before pressing the shutter. It was a time when we took each job seriously. The same goes for interior blueprints and presentations. We had no choice but to cut and paste from hand-drawn perspective drawings. Layout plans and photo montages required a certain flair, like collage art, and there was no room for redoing them, so I remember feeling nervous about creating them. For our 40th anniversary exhibition, we dug up some advertising blocks from a 40-year-old store construction project. However, the paper cement (a reusable rubber-based adhesive) we used back then deteriorated, causing the letters to fall off. I had to use tweezers to reattach them, which brought back memories and made me impressed by how much effort we actually did. While moving and pasting text on a computer is easy these days, back in the day, adjusting the spacing between lines of text and attaching samples from DIC's color swatches published by Dai Nippon Printing were time-consuming and expensive. While anyone can perform graphic work with PC software these days, back in the day, it was a world of craftsmanship. It reminded me of the craftsmanship required both design sense and imagination. Hiroshi Takahara, who I worked with on photography this year, is skilled in both analog and digital, but I believe his background in analog work allows him to pay close attention to even the smallest details. I myself have experienced the transition from analog to digital, so I often notice things that younger people overlook. I was involved in everything from prototyping to product photography for this new release. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of catalog it will be. For the 40th anniversary event, we plan to have an exhibition that will give you a sense of some of our work from the 1980s. Look forward to it! (Creative Director Seto Noboru)

2025.09.29|

DESIGNERS

Restomod interior

AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol. 172 Resto-mod refers to the restoration and improvement of vintage cars, a term coined by combining the words restoration and modification. Traditionally, the best way to restore a vintage car was to restore it as close to its original condition as possible, right down to the last screw. The closer it was to its original condition, the more valuable it was. The Ferrari Classiche certification, officially recognized by Italian sports car manufacturer Ferrari, is among the best in the world, and many owners aspire to obtain it. Lamborghini and Porsche also have restoration departments, which help enhance their brands. Furthermore, as the price of original cars has skyrocketed, many owners have moved from cars originally intended for enjoyment to those who simply own them as art, ignoring the fear that their value will decrease as the mileage increases. Apart from this trend, there is a technique called restomod, which is gaining popularity as a means of improvement that takes a different approach from restoration. Restomod is a technique that restores the exterior to its original appearance while incorporating modern parts such as the engine and suspension to create a comfortable ride that adapts to modern traffic conditions. While previously known as illegal modifications made by street racers to make cars faster, it is now a global trend as a method of adding value different from restoration. For example, Porsche's narrow 911s from the 1970s have skyrocketed in value, but these cars are over 50 years old and lack the comfort and enjoyment of driving. Narrow Porsches, which restore 1970s bodies and install newer engines and equipment, or modify the exterior of new cars to resemble the 1970s, are gaining popularity among enthusiasts. Singer, a company specializing in restomods, became famous for restoring and modifying cars brought in by customers. They rose to fame by using the latest parts to restore the 964, the final air-cooled model up until 1993, to its 70s form. By customizing the interior and exterior to suit customer needs, they achieved great success, employing a staff of 750 in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the United States, similar techniques are used not only in car modifications but also in architecture. Midcentury buildings designed by famous architects are often restored back to their original blueprints for speculative purposes, much like fine art. Original furniture also fetches high prices. Meanwhile, there are many buildings similar to restomods, where the exterior is restored to its original state and the interior is updated with the latest equipment, creating a modern, comfortable and improved experience. Examples of buildings like the Art Deco building in downtown Los Angeles are those that retain their original exteriors but are converted into comfortable condominiums or stores, fetching higher prices than new properties. Examples include the 1930 Eastern Building, which housed a downtown department store and offices; a 1925 National Biscuit Company factory that has been converted into condominiums; and an abandoned movie theater that has been renovated into an Apple flagship store. In both cases, much of the exterior and interior, including the framework, have been restored to their original state. Areas of human interaction, such as air conditioning vents and restrooms and swimming pools, have been improved using the latest technology. This approach differs from the common practice in Japan of preserving only the original exterior walls of historic buildings and converting the interior into standard office space. In Europe and the United States, as with vintage cars, many people value nostalgic design, not only in products but also in architecture. This appreciation represents a business opportunity, and many companies in the West are turning it into a business. In Japan, Showa-era products and vintage cars from the 1980s are also popular among young people. The popularity of vintage Japanese cars in the United States is also a factor, but a special rule exists in the United States that allows right-hand drive cars over 25 years old to be imported as is. This rule allows vintage Japanese cars to be imported at low prices. The unique designs of vintage cars from that era are now popular, and design is becoming the driving force behind their popularity, rather than price. As a result, the prices of vintage cars in Japan are soaring. In Japan, this was previously driven by the needs of young people with limited means who could only afford cheap used cars or older properties. However, just like with automobiles, unique design will likely determine the price of architecture and interiors. In this case, it is important to value the basic structure and surface design. Old buildings and homes are rapidly disappearing in Japan. It seems we are now in an era where we are not only thinking about renovations, but also resto-modding architecture and adding value to it before trading. Our company still has products from 1985. I wonder if our products, 40 years later, will resonate with young people today... I hope that we can create designs that are one of a kind. We are also planning a 40th anniversary event this year. Before that, there will be a sale of exhibits, so look forward to it! (Creative Director Seto Noboru)

2025.08.29|

DESIGNERS

Natural and artificial leather and leather-free

AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol.171 The other day, I had a chance to serve a client for the first time in a while. The client came to our office with their family for a final confirmation. Since they were originally from my hometown of Kochi, we had a friendly chat. This time, the client asked for my advice on a product they were considering. I discussed whether the product they were considering would fit the space and, since they have small children, the durability of the materials they planned to use. Since I approach the issue from a different perspective than sales, I offered a variety of advice. Regarding comfort, I showed them a different product than the one they were considering, explaining that a chair's waistline determines how long you can sit in it, and suggested differences in the durability of materials and how to use them. I felt bad for the sales representative, as they had already decided on the product and material. The fabric they planned to use was artificial leather. When I looked at it and asked, "How long will you use it for?", they told me that they chose the durable artificial leather because they have small grandchildren and wanted something that would be stain-resistant and durable. I told him, "Artificial leather might be better for about six years, but for 10 years or more, nothing beats natural leather." Since he was around my age, I explained, "Car and motorcycle seats, which used to be made with vinyl leather, have deteriorated and cracked, and are no longer used. While durability has improved recently, it still can't compare to leather." After that, I switched to customer service. I later learned that the salesperson was pleased that the product had been upgraded and the material had been changed to leather, and that the customer had made the change. While artificial leather is generally perceived as more durable and stain-resistant than natural leather, it's not widely known that the material itself deteriorates. Depending on the material, artificial leather can deteriorate due to humidity and ultraviolet rays. This deterioration begins after the product material is produced. While natural leather and natural fabrics may deteriorate or fade depending on the environment, the material itself rarely dissolves or disintegrates. Cracks in old car seats are a good example. I myself have experienced the deterioration of artificial leather, such as when the green brand name tag on the back of a pair of Stan Smith sneakers became tattered, even though the leather itself was fine. I also found a nearly 40-year-old Italian souvenir bag while sorting through my mother's belongings. The leather on the outside was completely intact, but when I opened it, the artificial leather interior was melted and sticky. On the other hand, the natural leather jackets and leather shoes I bought when I was younger are still in good condition. Recently, we've been hearing more and more about leather-free and animal-free products, which refer to the elimination of genuine leather. This movement, which began with some fashion brands, aims to avoid using genuine animal leather and promote animal welfare by not killing animals. Instead, plant-based vegan leather has begun to gain attention. Even vegan leather, while often referred to as "vegan leather," does not mean that many products are completely free of petroleum-based materials; rather, they are made using natural materials as the base and a polyurethane or PVC coating on the surface. An increasing number of overseas automakers are promoting leather-free products. The animal-free movement is often confused with exotic leathers such as mink, fox, crocodile, and snake, which are raised solely for their fur. Leather used in cars and furniture is 100% a by-product of meat production. We live by killing living creatures, so surely we can live sustainably by consuming 100% of their lives. The reason natural leather is so durable is due to the strength of its base. Natural leather consists of a base layer of intertwined collagen fibers, on top of which a strong epidermal layer called the grain is integrated, and on top of that, dyes such as urethane paint are applied. To tan the collagen fibers of hides into leather, chrome tanning and tannin tanning are used. While the chromium used in chrome tanning is often mistaken for hexavalent chromium, the chromium used in chrome tanning is actually naturally occurring trivalent chromium. For those with limited budgets and a certain level of durability, artificial leather is superior, while natural leather lasts longer with proper maintenance. We hope you will use it according to your needs. I didn't know this, but the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS K 6541 Terminology) was revised in March 2024, tightening the definition of the terms "leather" and "leather." This revision means that products that can be called "leather" or "leather" are limited to those derived from animals. The leather shoes I bought over 30 years ago and have been repairing and wearing constantly are starting to tear, so I'm reaching the end of their useful life. I can't bring myself to give up on these shoes that have become so comfortable after so many repairs, so I polish them while pondering whether to throw them away. Since today's cars have many electrical parts, I don't need to expect them to last more than 10 years, so I wonder if the use of artificial leather is becoming more widespread... It's about time to decide on the materials for the new prototypes for the 2026 model. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Adcore Divides. Selecting materials for our 50th anniversary is also important. Stay tuned! (Creative Director Noboru Seto)

2025.06.30|

DESIGNERS

Furniture layout affects comfort

AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol.169 Our recent "Furniture Layout and Ergonomics Seminar" was attended by over 1300 customers, making it the most attended web seminar we've ever held. We received a lot of feedback in the post-seminar questionnaire. We always ask for feedback, but it's rare to receive so many lengthy comments from so many customers that it took me half a day to read them all. Some of the comments included: "A layout with stress-free dimensions is different from a layout that is just enough to move around in," "It's important to consider the dimensions when people are seated when designing a layout," "It's not the capacity of chairs and sofas that matters, but the number of people who can actually use them," and "It was eye-opening to learn that curved furniture can be used more effectively than straight furniture." We received feedback from professionals, and it was the most rewarding seminar we've held in all our years of skill-up seminars. Up until now, we have held various skill-up seminars to help people acquire interior design knowledge, covering topics such as furniture making, leather manufacturing and other materials, interior photography, and furniture ergonomics. This layout seminar was prompted by the realization that during the COVID-19 pandemic, our staff were simply placing furniture in the designated locations on floor plans provided by clients, without considering the reasons or practicality of the work, merely following instructions from the sales representative. Seeing these presentation drawings, devoid of any understanding of meaning or rationale, made me strongly feel the need for employee training. In actual work life, much is learned through practical experience and guidance from senior colleagues, in addition to what is taught in school. The pandemic reduced opportunities for on-site work, decreased interaction with others, and insufficient guidance. Therefore, I reflected on this and decided to hold an in-house study session. I myself have worked as a furniture designer for over 40 years, learning from both senior colleagues and veteran clients, both through reprimands and instruction. Furniture layout is one such area; I wanted to be a furniture designer, but I thought layout was just about placing furniture on a flat surface. However, in actual work, I realized that layout is even more important than furniture design, as it can significantly impact the efficiency of accommodations such as hotels and inns, and the comfort of restaurants, leading to repeat business. Furthermore, knowing not only ergonomic dimensions but also how to determine sizes according to international standards has been incredibly useful, as it has led to sales pitches with clients and made them feel that I am a trustworthy designer. When I decided to hold a layout seminar, some in our sales department expressed concerns that it might be disrespectful to professional clients or that it might offend them. However, based on my own experience of being mentored by senior colleagues outside the company, I felt it was something we should do, and so I went ahead with it. As I actually started creating images for the seminar, I re-evaluated my own experience. I learned about ergonomic modules in college, but I had gained a lot of practical experience regarding sizes, such as the spacing between furniture of various heights, through my work experience. When I had to create materials again, I realized I had to start from scratch because there were no reference books. While creating layout materials from drawings, I was reminded of the importance of furniture layout, and it was a reaffirmation of things I had almost forgotten. Simply filling in furniture on a floor plan is often unusable; for example, you can't sit on a dining set unless you pull out the chairs. Also, when sitting on low chairs such as sofas or lounge chairs, people extend their legs forward, so it is necessary to leave a lot of space between them and the coffee table, and the gap changes depending on the height of the sofa seat. In both cases, it is important to lay out furniture in a way that people will actually use it. Ergonomic dimensions are used to determine these modules, and if you can show concrete modules rather than just vague ones, customers will be convinced. "It was an eye-opener to learn that curved furniture can be used more effectively than straight furniture" When laying out furniture, the narrower the space, the more it is necessary to minimize dead space. If you try to minimize passages and gaps as much as possible in a narrow space, you will actually end up with more dead space and unusable space. Using a human figure makes it easier to see visually, and the corner of an L-shaped sofa is dead space, but simply rounding the corner makes it possible for a person to sit there. Curved furniture is needed not only because of interior design trends, but also to create a stress-free interior. Picking up a template, a hand-drawn drafting tool made of resin board that I haven't used much lately, I remembered how I ruined and replaced so many of them, and how I used a ruler to determine the distance between adjacent spaces when laying out furniture in restaurants and offices. I will also plan the next seminar to be a skill-up seminar. Stay tuned! (Creative Director: Noboru Seto)

2025.05.30|

DESIGNERS

Billionaire's Row interior

AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol.168 The other day, NHK's program "Status" featured a segment on the penthouses of Billionaires' Row in New York. Billionaires' Row is a cluster of residential skyscrapers over 300 meters tall located near the southern end of Central Park in Manhattan, New York, and is known as the "Row of Billionaires" because of its ultra-expensive residences. The most expensive penthouse on Billionaires' Row is said to be 36 billion yen, and the program was about the director's struggle to spend a night in one of these top-floor penthouses. Since it was a program about the much-talked-about Billionaires' Row in New York, I decided to watch it. In the program, it was shown that because these are ultra-expensive residences, security is tight, there are no real estate documents, and even when they tried to get the residents to show them around, it was impossible to tell who actually lived there, as the names on the property register were often dummy companies. Just when I was about to give up, I was finally introduced to a Japanese-American woman who was interested in purchasing a home, and I was able to accompany her to see the inside of the house. The program features various high-end items, and the director who does the interviews is the same, but he's always dressed in a T-shirt and baseball cap, so I thought it would be impossible for him to do the interview. However, he was dressed in a suit for the house tour, so I thought he understood appropriate attire for the occasion. When I myself cover housing on the West Coast, I accompany Yasuko-san through her introductions, and I always wear an ironed shirt and jacket. In that program, we weren't able to see the most expensive house, which was 36 billion yen, but we were able to visit a penthouse in a different building that was nearly 8 billion yen. It was a super-tall skyscraper, long and slender like a pencil, and in earthquake-prone Japan, I was worried about the shaking. As we went up in the elevator, the Japanese-American woman's voice said, "It's not a Japanese-made elevator, so it shakes," confirming that it really was shaking. The director sighed when the guide told him that even if he bought it, the monthly management fees and taxes alone would cost more than $70,000. He also said that unless you can consistently pay that much, you can't join the ranks of Billionaires' Law. The other day, I wrote a column about high-end single-family homes on the West Coast, and the similar expenses made me realize how exclusive high-end real estate is in America. The building is even longer and narrower than a pencil, and I thought it would be small, but there are a maximum of two units per floor, and the upper floors have one unit per floor or occupy two to four floors, providing a large area. The room I was heading for was clearly the penthouse on the top floor, indicated only by the "PH" mark on the elevator. Stepping out of the elevator, I was greeted with a view higher than any other building, and a panoramic view of Central Park. The building's long shadows cast across Central Park, which faces north, reminding me just how high I was. While my eyes were drawn to the dizzying height, I turned my attention to the interior, which was typical of high-end American decor. The furniture wasn't just to fill the large space; it seemed that the zoning was carefully considered, with designated areas for people to spend time in each corner of the space. Furthermore, the furniture wasn't from well-known brands, but rather what you might call high-end furniture—classic pieces that aren't heavily influenced by trends and have a refined feel. A sofa with soft curves was placed in the center of the space. Curved sofas, like the kidney sofa we've been offering for the past three years, are placed in the main area and corners of the room, creating a soft atmosphere. Since 2020, furniture with curves has become widely used in Europe and the United States. This is partly due to the adoption of biophilic design, a spatial design that evokes nature such as plants, in order to create a comfortable space for the mind and emotions in the stifling and tense world of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is also the reason why soft furniture from the 1970s and 80s is being re-evaluated and revived. Curved furniture originated with Art Nouveau in the 1890s, and since then, from the 1920s to Art Deco, the 1950s to Mid-Century Modern, the 1970s to Postmodern, and into the present day, furniture designs based on curves have been used as furniture that stabilizes the mind and creates comfort. Curved furniture, which was almost forgotten for a time, has made a comeback in recent years because combinations of curves have been used in modular sofas, which were originally only made of straight lines but have become the basis of modern sofas that have been widely used since the 1970s. Perhaps it's because curved furniture has become more versatile, allowing it to create a strong presence in the center of a large space or a comfortable corner of a room. Our Kidney Sofa/NC-075 has also seen a sudden increase in sales since becoming a modular type. Curved furniture, which was previously thought to be only for the center of a space, can also be placed in the corner of a room in combination with plants and lighting to create a soft, mentally relaxing space. This time, they may have considered the effect of easing the tension caused by the dazzling height of the skyscraper, but it brought a sense of peace to a space that would otherwise be tense due to the fear of heights. The use of a curved nickel bathtub in the bathroom was also impressive. The popularity of soft, rounded lounge chairs, which are moving away from square designs, may also be because they bring a sense of peace and comfort to the space. In the past, hotels and inns used horseshoe shapes not only to create atmosphere but also to consider traffic flow and other factors. We may also show layouts using curved furniture at our upcoming Layout and Ergonomics event. Stay tuned! (Creative Director Noboru Seto)

2025.04.30|

DESIGNERS

Concerns about Milano Salone and design events

AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol.167 I went to Milan again this year. I visited the Milan Salone, the furniture trade fair held in Rho Fiera, the biennial lighting exhibition Euroluce, and design events held throughout Milan. There is a lot of news and images being disseminated online, and many trend seminars are scheduled to be held again this year. In this column, I would like to share my honest feelings after going to Milan for nearly 40 years. Many of the events held in Milan this year were different from the exciting design events that were originally intended, with many exhibits feeling like a waste of time, such as top brands that restricted entry and allocated only customers to enter, brands and exhibitions that required pre-registration for entry to collect customer data, and fashion brand events that only created long lines. This year's attendance at the Milan Salone was 302,548 (370,824 in 2024, 386,236 in 2019), which is 87% of last year's attendance. I think the overall number of people in Milan has decreased even more because the overwhelming demand for Milanese hotels and the high cost of travel have made it seem to be not worth the time spent. I felt that it's time to move beyond simply going to Milan just because an event is being held there. I'd like to explain why. More than 25 years ago, the main event at Milan was the Fiera, which was close to the city center, and it was an exhibition aimed at securing annual sales contracts with buyers from all over the world. Our company also exhibited at the Milan Salone in 1989, 36 years ago. At that time, major brands from all over the world exhibited, and they unveiled their new designs at the trade fair. Visiting the Milan Salone was a valuable place and time to see all the brands and new products gathered in one place. In those days there was no internet, so the only way to see things was to travel there and see them with your own eyes. At each booth, you would request a paper catalog at the reception. These paper catalogs were heavy, and if you walked around all day, you couldn't carry them without bringing a carry-on bag. Back then, there were no readily available digital cameras or smartphones for taking photos, and each brand had strict regulations regarding photography. Even with a press pass, you had to get permission to enter, making the information itself valuable. Since then, we have visited every year and shared the information within our company, so we felt it would be a waste to keep the information to ourselves and started giving seminars as Milan reports to our clients. The event, which was originally just a furniture exhibition during the Milan Salone period, grew larger, and the number of visitors from all over the world increased. As a result, the event became centered around design festivals, including the presentation of individual designer works and corporate PR installations. Now, design events held within Milan are the main focus. The scale and quality of these events are something that can only be seen in Milan, and the number of visitors from all over the world has increased. Consequently, hotel accommodation costs in Milan have also begun to skyrocket. What was about twice as expensive 20 years ago has now tripled to quintuple. The hotel where I stayed last year, located a little outside the city center, cost 60,000 yen per night last year, but this year it cost 95,000 yen, more than six times the usual price of around 15,000 yen per night. Hotels in areas close to the center of Milan cost an average of over 125,000 yen per night during the period, and the hotel prices have skyrocketed. With staff accompanying us, it was impossible to stay in three rooms for more than five nights, so we had to reduce it to four nights. Due to the weak yen, the budget including airfare and accommodation has become four times that of normal times. In addition, the entrance fee to the Salone del Mobile in Milan, the International Furniture Fair, is €56 (over 9,000 yen), which is an expensive ticket for an exhibition. We could tolerate it if the content justified the inflated accommodation costs, but many companies have canceled their participation in the International Furniture Fair, and the quality of city events has also declined. For the past few years, famous brands such as Poltrona Flou, Cassina, B&B, Zanotta, and Moroso have stopped exhibiting at the International Furniture Fair and only operate showrooms in the city, and this year Morteni&C and Frexform also only have showrooms in the city. When I spoke to Morteni&C, they said that considering the soaring exhibition fees and booth construction costs at the venue, they can afford to set up a showroom in the city. It was said that many more brands would likely withdraw from exhibiting in the future. At the international furniture fair venue, where the number of exhibitors had decreased, Minotti and Flou restricted entry to their customers only, and Poliform and LEMA (with a 2/3 area restriction) also restricted entry to their customers only. As a result, there were more and more booths that could not be entered or even seen, and I wonder about the legitimacy of a furniture exhibition when you pay a high entrance fee but can't see the exhibits, or even if you are allowed in, you can't touch or sit on the furniture. With the city's number of events increasing too much, you have to decide which events you want to see and walk around carefully to be able to see everything, and there are long lines at popular fashion brands, and even when you finally get in, the content is often not worth the time spent, and there are many exhibits that are only focused on being Instagrammable and aiming to spread images, which is often disappointing. Moreover, even when you finally get in, you have to wait even longer because of people waiting to take pictures with their smartphones. I thought that a certain Spanish brand's event held in Harajuku was a hundred times better. The organizers of the Milan Furniture Fair should consider measures such as restricting entry to the venue and reviewing the quality of exhibits at city-wide events. The city of Milan should also consider setting limits on hotel accommodation rates. Otherwise, the decline in visitor numbers, which began this year, will likely worsen. It's time for the exhibition to revert to its original purpose, improve the quality of the event, and become more geared towards professional users working in interior design. (Noboru Seto, Creative Director)

2025.03.31|

DESIGNERS

Modern architectural restoration and renovation

AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol.166 The National Art Center, Tokyo in Roppongi is currently hosting the exhibition "Living Modernity: Experiments in Housing 1920s-1970s." This exhibition re-examines the innovative attempts surrounding housing that began in the 20th century from seven perspectives that characterize modern houses, and displays photographs, drawings, sketches, models, and furniture of 14 representative homes of modern architecture. I had visited several of the houses on display, and it was a very worthwhile exhibition, featuring sketches by the architects. One of the houses, Pierre Koenig's Case Study House #22, the Stahl House, was a house I had visited. It was a little disappointing that the interior and furniture looked different depending on the viewing angle of the photographs of the Stahl House, perhaps because they were taken in different eras. Pierre Koenig became famous thanks to a photograph taken by photographer Julius Schulman in 1960, and the Stahl House in that photograph became known as the most famous house in the world. I thought they should have used that interior photograph... In 2006, I first visited the Stahl House during a location scouting trip for a catalog shoot. At that time, Mrs. Stahl shared stories about the house's history, features, and living experience—information only an owner would know. She mentioned some complaints, such as the noise of rain and wind and the easily rising temperature, but emphasized that the excellent view outweighed these drawbacks. She also shared stories about how, in their youth, they lacked money and had to level the ground themselves. At that time, the building was in its original state, furnished with furniture that had been used for many years. After Mrs. Stahl's death, her eldest son inherited the house and opened it to the public for a fee. Now, her eldest daughter manages it. When I visited when it was open to the public after the son's inheritance, a Hollywood furniture store had sponsored the change, replacing the furniture with modern reproductions. I remember being a little disappointed, thinking it would have looked even better if they had used the furniture Julius Schulman had used during his photoshoot. One noteworthy aspect of the Stahl House is that, in Los Angeles, where properties often change hands frequently, it's rare to find a house that remained in the home for over 50 years until the owner's death. Not all famous buildings were famous from the moment they were built. Each time ownership changes, the house is renovated by the new owner, sometimes to the point where it no longer resembles its original form. The Bailey House, Case Study House #21 designed by Pierre Koenig, which I recently introduced at a West Coast architecture seminar, is one such example. The Bailey House was commissioned by psychologist Walter Bailey and built by Pierre Koenig in 1959. After the Baileys moved to the East Coast in 1969, ownership changed hands repeatedly, and renovations were carried out. A fireplace was added where it wasn't originally, and in the 1980s, the kitchen's location was changed, ruining the original design and causing the concept itself to be forgotten. In 1989, photographs of Julius Schulman's Case Study Houses were exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, in an exhibition titled "Blueprints for Modern Living," which led to a renewed appreciation of Pierre Koenig's contributions to California modern architecture, and the Bailey House also began to attract attention. In 1997, the Bailey House was purchased for $1.5 million by Dan Crutcholo, the producer famous for the Matrix films, and he commissioned the architect, Pierre Koenig, to restore it, a process that took a year. The restoration was time-consuming, involving modifications to replace the refrigerator and water heater from 1959, and reportedly took twice as long as the original construction. While some parts were slightly modernized from the original, the furniture was kept original and custom-made to match. However, the Bailey House was sold in 2006 to a Korean female art collector for $318 million. This sale was the second highest price for a modern house and was considered a turning point in the trading of architecture as art. Mark Hadaway was commissioned to restore it at that time. The house was also sold to actress Alison Salofim in 2016, but after the purchase, she began restoration work to bring it closer to the original, along with measures to address ground subsidence. Mark Hadaway was again commissioned to do that restoration. He also worked on the restoration of a mid-century house that was owned by Maroon Five guitarist James Valentine and is now owned by Brad Pitt, which I wrote about in a column in 2023. The Bailey House, which he spent several years thoroughly restoring to its original state, seemed to shine. When I first visited in 2015, it was owned by a Korean female art collector, and I heard that the restoration was complete and it was in its original condition, but when I revisited in 2024, it had been thoroughly restored again from the foundation up. Mark Hadaway, who was commissioned to do the restoration again, owns a vintage fashion store called Resurrection Vintage in New York and Los Angeles, and has become famous as the store that created the vintage trend that has taken hold among celebrities worldwide. He is now also successful in the vintage real estate business and works as a real estate restorer. His restoration method is to be thoroughly committed to originality. Renovated and added parts are restored to their original state according to the original blueprints, and even the furniture and small items that were in place when the house was first completed are made up of items appropriate to the era. And these are not new reproductions, but original items from that era. I once visited Harpel House, John Ratner's home designed in 1956. It had been perfectly restored to its original state, with contemporary vintage items, including the bathroom heater, exhaust fan, electrical outlets, window frames, and even the locks. I was amazed to see that the Porsche 356 in the garage was a 1959 model. This American emphasis on originality isn't limited to houses; it's the same with vintage denim. Vintage cars, restored with original parts, are valued and traded at several times the price of newly modified or renovated vehicles. While cars and homes might be more comfortable when refurbished with modern technology and parts, the degree of originality is now the criterion for high-priced transactions. Things that look somewhat old now will likely gain value after 50 years, but perhaps the ability to last 30 to 40 years is what defines a timeless design. Our company is 40 years old. Some of our products are also reaching their 40th anniversary, and we hope they will become vintage in another 10 years. (Creative Director: Noboru Seto)

2025.02.27|

DESIGNERS

Common sense in American real estate sales

AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol.165 The "American West Coast Seminar," our first in-person seminar in five years, was held recently and attracted many visitors to each showroom. Attendees commented that the large-screen presentation made the seminar feel more real and enjoyable. I think they were able to feel the atmosphere more than they would on a PC or tablet screen. Most importantly, the in-person seminar allowed us to feel the customers' reactions, which was very rewarding. We would also like to thank all the attendees for filling out the post-seminar questionnaire. In this seminar, we showed visitors a professional interior showroom, Case Study House #21 (which has been restored), and open rooms in Beverly Hills and Bel Air, all of which we covered last year. Many attendees were interested in the differences between the materials distributed at open rooms in Japan and those in the US. At the American West Coast Seminar, we often receive requests from customers to include floor plans in the explanatory images, but the materials distributed at open rooms for American home sales do not include floor plans, which are always present in advertisements and materials for open rooms in Japan. The same applies to newly built properties; they are not displayed on the property listings' websites, and even at open houses for homes worth tens of billions of yen, there are many photos but no floor plans. This was something I myself found strange, as floor plans are necessary for the shot breakdown required for catalog photography, but I have never seen one. When I asked the president of a real estate company, he said it was because floor plans are not needed. He said that the important things when buying real estate are price, floor area, location, safety, and a good school district, and that everything else can be seen in photos and when you visit the property. Almost all houses are furnished so that you can get an idea of the interior. Even for unfurnished properties, it is normal to put furniture in them for the open house, and with central air conditioning and everything else like washing machines included, there are few things you need to buy new to live in, and you have to think about how to arrange furniture in a small room like an apartment, so unless there is a very good reason, a floor plan is not needed. The materials distributed at real estate open houses include the number of bedrooms, the number of bathrooms (including toilets), the lot size, the floor area, and the year of construction, but the number of living rooms and dining rooms is not listed. In some houses, there are multiple rooms, separated into formal and family areas, and there are also things like a home theater and a wine cellar. Other details include the number of cars parked in the garage (outdoor parking is not included), a real estate agent commission percentage (2-3%) clearly marked as CSO, and descriptions of the house's interior and other features. When you look at the website, you'll see prices that aren't usually listed in Japan, such as the price per square foot, the taxable value, and the annual tax amount. In addition, the payment amount for loan repayments after purchase and the amount of home insurance are also displayed. Home insurance is displayed because the amount varies considerably depending on the area and roads, and it will be expensive in areas that were hit by the recent fire or in mountainous areas where firefighting takes a long time. Also, the year the building was constructed does not affect the price as it does in Japan, and the current condition is what is important. The Bel Air house featured in this seminar was built in 2022, had 7 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, a floor area of 9,040 square feet (840 square meters), a land area of 0.68 acres (832 tsubo), parking for 7 cars (2 indoors, 5 outdoors), and a selling price of $24,995,000 (3.75 billion yen). Payment details included a 30-year loan (6.52% fixed rate) with monthly payments of $126,651 (19 million yen), monthly property tax of $24,578 (368 million yen), and monthly home insurance of $8,332 (125 million yen), for a total monthly payment of $159,561 (2,393 million yen). Even if purchased with cash, property tax (4,416 million yen per year) and home insurance (15 million yen per year) would add up to $394,920 (nearly 60 million yen) per year. On top of that, there are fixed costs like electricity and water bills of tens of thousands of dollars per month, which is mind-boggling. I was surprised by the high property taxes and home insurance, but since property taxes are based on the purchase price, they never decrease and are paid indefinitely. It seems that even in America, only the wealthy live in Beverly Hills and Bel Air. In America, over 90% of loans taken out for real estate purchases are fixed-rate, the opposite of Japan where over 90% are variable-rate. Currently, fixed-rate mortgages in America have settled at 6.5%, but at one point they were over 8.5%, and a few years ago they were even over 10%, which is why people choose fixed rates. In Los Angeles, real estate sales had slowed down for a while due to soaring housing prices and the recession, but it seems that housing prices have risen again as wealthy people lost their homes in the recent Los Angeles wildfires. I guess there are a lot of wealthy people on the West Coast of America. What will happen to the Japanese economy from here on out? Japan has to work hard too! (Creative Director Noboru Seto)

2025.01.31|

DESIGNERS

The Los Angeles wildfires and the safety of famous buildings

AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol.164 A month has already passed since the start of 2025. The start of this year has brought a lot of news from the United States, including a change of president. Among them, the news of the Los Angeles wildfire that started on January 7th was widely reported. As this Los Angeles wildfire was within the city limits of Los Angeles, we have received many inquiries from our customers about YASUKO and the safety of the houses that we have visited on tours. I have been reporting on Los Angeles housing for nearly 20 years in my West Coast US reports, so I think that those who always attend my seminars are also concerned. The Los Angeles wildfire was not limited to Pacific Palisades, but also to Pasadena and the Castaique area north of Los Angeles, where the fire is still spreading. The area destroyed by this fire is said to be 2.5 times the size of the area within the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, and more than 12300 houses have been destroyed. YASUKO, who owns a home in the mountains of West Hollywood, Los Angeles, had put her house up for sale in preparation for her permanent return to Japan. A buyer was found in September, but the bank loan was delayed, and I heard that the money was finally deposited on January 5th and that she was in the process of moving. On January 9th, while I was making New Year's greetings rounds, I received a call from YASUKO. It was not the usual time for her to call, so I was surprised and answered. She told me that there was a fire on the hill behind her house, and that there had been a fire evacuation order, so she was evacuating to a friend's house. That morning, I had been worried after seeing the smoke from the fire in a photo she sent me on LINE from around Santa Monica, but I was truly worried when I heard that there was also a fire in West Hollywood, where YASUKO lives. I had heard that YASUKO lost her first home when she moved from London to Los Angeles in a wildfire similar to this one, and that she had lost everything then, so she knew firsthand how terrifying fires can be. Also, a few years ago, during the Malibu wildfire, the vast home of photographer Dominic, who helps us with our catalog shoots, was destroyed by fire. I visited him and saw the burnt building, so I can't help but feel that this is not someone else's problem. The West Hollywood wildfire was quickly extinguished, and YASUKO contacted us to say that she was able to return home the day after evacuating. However, the home of Blair, the president of a real estate company who cooperated with us on architectural tours and for this West Coast report, is in Pacific Palisades and was destroyed in the fire. I have visited over 200 locations on the West Coast for catalog shoots, location scouting, and interviews, and I have been to more than 20 buildings within the area affected by this fire. Of those, I have used five buildings for photography, and I can still picture the owners. Looking at a map of the fire area, famous buildings such as the Getty Center, Getty Villa, and Eames House, which are on the edge of the wildfire, narrowly escaped destruction. The fire spread to the Getty Villa grounds, but it seems that the fire was prevented from spreading to the building itself. Among the houses destroyed by the fire, there are many that hold special memories for me. The most memorable is the home of sound engineer Per Halberg, which I visited in 2014. I guided clients there on one of our architectural tours. This Swede's house was located very close to Getty Villa, in a beautiful location on the edge of the mountains. I was surprised when I was shown into his study to find three Academy Award Oscar statuettes among the many trophies. They were for Braveheart (1995), The Bourne Ultimatum (2008), and Skyfall (2013), all of which are films I also remember fondly and love, so I was very surprised. He let everyone hold one of the trophies, not the light ones sold in Hollywood souvenir shops, but heavy ones, and he handed them to us saying that the ones given out at the Academy Awards ceremony are dummies and delivered to the winners' homes afterward, so these are the real ones. I was especially happy that a famous person in the film industry treated us, who had come all the way from Japan, so kindly. I am worried about the safety of his wife and children. This area, where many houses from the 1940s and 50s remain, is also dotted with famous buildings designed by master architects. In particular, houses designed by Richard Joseph Neutra, a modern architect, are not only valuable for their architectural merit but are also traded at high prices like works of art, similar to pop art. To enhance their value, restorations are carried out to return them to their original state, paying attention to even the original electrical outlets and switches. These are not buildings that are open to the public, but are used as ordinary homes where people live. One such example is the Friedman House, a famous Neutra building from 1949, located near the coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The current owner is Jeff Ayaroff, the former vice chairman of Warner Bros., and he lives there with his family. When I visited on an architectural tour, Jeff and his wife, Marty, greeted me. Jeff is a Japanophile who has visited Japan many times for work with Ryuichi Sakamoto, and he explained the reasons for purchasing the house and the collections he keeps there. Jeff's father ran a furniture factory and produced furniture in the style of Neutra's architecture, and this house was also made in his father's factory. It was a house he had admired since childhood. After achieving success producing artists like Prince and Madonna, he was finally able to purchase this dream home. All the furniture in the house is original, including pieces by George Nakashima and John Prouvé. What surprised me the most was a photograph of William Eggleston's iconic tricycle above the fireplace in the living room. This photograph, taken on color film, fetched a record-breaking $578,000 at a Christie's auction. Other items included a sideboard from Le Corbusier's home in France and stationery with John Lennon's handwritten lyrics. Not only was the house itself precious, but the objects placed within it were so invaluable that it left me breathless. The Neutra building, which housed this art and furniture, was also in the area affected by the fire. It's incredibly sad that we can no longer see the Neutra building from the garden. While the fires in this wildfire have made headlines for the loss of houses, I imagine that many valuable cultural artifacts, such as art and furnishings, were also lost. This highlights the close relationship between interior design and art. In Los Angeles, USA, hotel prices are soaring, rental rates are starting to rise, and housing prices are also increasing. With Google, Amazon Studios, and Apple establishing new headquarters there, rents are soaring in Los Angeles, making it difficult to acquire housing. With YASUKO's complete return to Japan, it will be difficult to conduct interviews in Los Angeles, and this West Coast seminar will be the last for now, but I would like to do some other overseas architecture reports, so please look forward to them! (Creative Director Noboru Seto)

2024.12.26|

DESIGNERS

From visual to physical sensations

AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol.163 2024 is drawing to a close. What kind of year has it been for everyone? Personally, I'm relieved that the opening of our new Roppongi headquarters is over. Every year at the end of the year, I think, "This year has been the busiest," and this year has been no exception. Also, this year I was able to feel once again that people continue to grow no matter how old they get, and I felt truly alive. At the opening event, visitors to the new Roppongi showroom expressed their surprise, saying things like, "I didn't expect it to be this spacious," "I didn't realize such a great location was so close to Roppongi Station," and "I didn't expect the showroom to be this good." Our business partners, who cooperate with us on a daily basis, were also surprised, so I felt a mix of worry and happiness about what they usually think of our company. The new Roppongi showroom aims to be a neutral space for professional users, keeping the space understated and designed to allow them to view dining and living scenes without being influenced by other products. I hope that even in a simple space, viewers can feel the space through their imagination. What I focused on was viewing the products from a distance. When scouting locations for catalog shoots on the West Coast of the United States, the important thing is the distance needed for the shoot. I focused on creating a space where you can view the products from a distance. Nowadays, fewer and fewer customers visit showrooms, and many decisions are made based solely on images. While you can see the surface of a product on a tablet or smartphone on a website, you can't experience the feeling of actually sitting in it or what it looks like to sit in it. When I choose something, I want to value not only images, but also the feeling of touching it, the sensations on my body, and the scent. The other day, I took my car in for inspection, and the loaner car was full of touch sensors. My car is a generation old and has a mix of physical buttons and touch panels, but the latest loaner car had a large display monitor in the center and all the control buttons on the steering wheel were touch sensors, so I couldn't immediately understand what to touch, and I couldn't even turn on the radio. The sunroof opening and closing was also done with a sliding sensor, and the music volume was also controlled by a finger-sliding sensor, making it impossible to make subtle adjustments while driving. Most notably, even changing the radio channel requires accessing the radio screen and touching it while looking at the screen. Adjusting the air conditioning is the same; your senses of touch and touch are useless. These days, many cars are operated with touch panels like smartphones, so it might be fine for people who are used to that, but for someone unfamiliar with a car, driving while concentrating their eyes on the front and back, having to take their eyes off the panel to operate it is not ideal. Lowering or raising the air conditioning while driving is a normal thing, and it's difficult to operate the touch sensor properly in a car that's shaking from bumps and uneven roads. Unless someone in the passenger seat is operating it for you, of course. While driving the rental car, I was thinking, "I don't want to switch to a car like this..." I suddenly wondered, how long will this car last? Even smartphones don't last 10 years. Computers also frequently break down if not replaced every 5 years or so. I thought that the lifespan of touch-based control panels packed with semiconductor sensors must be short. In automobiles, starting with European luxury cars, there's a return to manual physical switches from digital touch panels. My 1962 Karmann Ghia is the same age as me, 62 years old this year, but it still runs strong with the necessary parts replaced as needed. This is because it is entirely a physical machine with no semiconductors or other electronic parts. Mechanical watches can last a lifetime with proper maintenance, but they are becoming more of a luxury item. Speaking of watches, digital LCD watches with 1970s designs seem to be popular with young people, but I also used an LCD watch when I was younger, and the LCD only lasted about 10 years before the display faded and it became unusable. It's fine if you treat it as a consumable item like a smartphone, but if you want to use it for a long time, ease of maintenance and a simple structure are important. Our new showroom is a space where you can feel the light of the courtyard, combined with a new lighting system. I think you will be able to experience our furniture with all your senses as you walk around. We will also be resuming the seminars that were suspended in that showroom. For the past four years due to the pandemic, we have been holding web seminars, but they were one-way broadcasts to customers, and I myself did not feel any reaction. Our new Roppongi showroom is equipped with a new high-resolution projector for seminars, so you can experience a more realistic atmosphere on a large screen. If you haven't yet visited our new showroom, please take this opportunity to come and see us. We wish you all a wonderful 2025. (Noboru Seto, Creative Director)