The Dwell 24: Mona Matsui

Mona Matsui’s ethereal, light filtering textiles both define and blur the boundary between inside and outside.

Made with polyester or traditional Japanese materials like washi, silk, and cotton and ranging from pale and semitransparent to color-saturated, her panels can be suspended in doorways or layered over windows.

Matsui, who studied at the Royal College of Art in London and is now based in Tokyo, intends to create "beautiful experiences" for people with her work, and the effect she is going for is transportive.

"I wanted something that when people enter the space, they could say it looks foggy or sunny," explains Matsui. "I always loved looking up at the sky. The natural atmosphere attracted me. I wanted to bring that into a room, into an object."

Read the full Q&A with Mona Matsui below.

Hometown: Tokyo, Japan

Describe what you make in 140 characters. I am making textiles that embody natural phenomena such as the light or misty atmosphere in a space.

What’s the last thing you designed? I designed curtains for a small hair salon in Tokyo.

Do you have a daily creative ritual? I take photos of the sky every morning. This makes me wake up early in the morning and gives me time to have creative ideas and inspirations. I also like to take photos of Tokyo's roads, houses, and construction sites because I always find weird stuff there.

How do you procrastinate? Thinking [about] the process of making. Sometimes it needs a huge amount of research, [and I] need to find factories to embody my ideas into actual textiles design or curtains. It is important to make a balance between the cost, time and level of completion within a short time.

What everyday object would you like to redesign? Why? I would say sofas. I am always fascinated by them. Sitting down is one of the fundamental actions for human beings, so I would try to add a different perspective to a sofa. For example, creating a totally transparent sofa, or one made of a hard material, but when you sit down it's extremely soft, like a gel. There are so many different type of sofas in the world, and most of them focus on functionality, so I would love to provide a fun experience.

Who are your heroes (in design, in life, in both)? I have two people. In design, I choose Shiro Kuramata, who is an interior designer. I love his dreamy and poetic product designs. He thinks designers should design furniture or spaces without collapsing the beautiful atmosphere in a space. Therefore, I try to create textiles or designs that can make beautiful harmony in a space. In my life, I would say my mum. She is the most beautiful and strong woman. I have learned how I should be as a person from her even when I am in a harsh time.

What skill would you most like to learn? At this moment, I would like to learn about 3D modeling. I am in the textile field right now, and textiles are usually 2D design. However, I feel like there is so much potential in this field. I think textiles are not only fabrics but also soft materials. I would like to create fibre 3D print chair one day.

What is your most treasured possession? A small amulet and necklace  made from vintage glass. My design mentor gave it to me. I always bring it with me even when I go on trips! And Issey Miyake's BAO BAO bag which my friend designed. It was her first design.

What’s your earliest memory of an encounter with design? I think when my mother showed me her kimono collection. My mom loves kimonos. She made a kimono for me, and I wear it when we have a celebration. That is the beginning of my design life. In addition, during the aftermath of the huge earthquake in northern Japan, I realized the importance of comfortable public spaces, such as libraries and city halls. Then, I started to think about the relationship between human, architecture and space.

What contemporary design trend do you despise? I would say designs and trends that do not care about environmental problems. I want to pay attention to being eco-friendly and sustainable in a production system. This trend is quite difficult. I feel it is really important to maintain a balance between real production methods and future production processes so that how we can reduce and reuse the resources. We must take action for that as much as we can. That's why I despise non-eco-friendly design.

Finish this statement: All design should... make people happy!

What’s in your dream house? Famous designers’ chairs like Shiro Kuramata's chair, Ms. Branch, the Eames chair and so on.... And I love cooking so much, so I would love to have a very huge and nice kitchen!

How can the design world be more inclusive? By being tolerant. We tend to measure things with just our own perspective. I feel it is important to have different perspectives and to share them with others. We should listen to minority people’s voices when creating something. Although even if we make an effort to design or make things, sometime there are still things that we have to fix it. In that case, I feel people should trust the power of design, for both designers and users, to make a better world.

What do you wish non-designers understood about the design industry? I live in Tokyo, so I would say that design is not just for visual matters.  Japan has a really wonderful culture and history. We should pay attention to our own culture, design and art history more, because these things nurture us and gives new perspectives. Maybe this isn't just for Japan, but we need to look back at what we have for a better world. I feel this whole process is design.

You can learn more about Mona Matsui on her Instagram.

View the 2022 Dwell 24!