In Baku Sakashita’s new lighting collection, hand-dyed silk threads are delicately illuminated

Baku Sakashita’s lighting exists on the precipice of furniture and art. The Japanese lighting designer – who founded Studio Baku in 2018, exhibited during Designart Tokyo the same year and was also featured in Wallpaper’s Graduate Directory – blends traditional Japanese craftsmanship with contemporary design to create sculptural, beautiful pieces.

His latest collection, ‘Haku’, takes this artistry to new heights. On display at Tokyo Midtown Design Live until 5 November 2025, ‘Haku’ is composed of dozens of fine, delicate silk threads, each cast in subtle shades using natural plant-based dyes. This choice embodies Sakashita’s approach of reinterpreting Japanese traditions – here, the ancient art of plant dyeing, historically employed in kimono making.

Each colour within the collection carries a narrative tied to the places and relationships involved in sourcing the dyes: the blue comes from Kusagi berries harvested in Kyoto, the grey from shirakashi (Japanese white oak) branches, and the pink from akane (madder root). Beyond rooting the collection in Japanese heritage, these elements underscore the environmental benefits of plant-based dyes, which often make use of materials that would otherwise be discarded and minimise ecological impact.

In ‘Haku’, the light emanates from ultra-fine LEDs delicately woven within the silk threads, delivering the contemporary touch characteristic of Sakashita’s work. The fixtures, meanwhile, are crafted from hand-polished stainless steel, providing a sleek, industrial contrast to the fragility of the silk.

Sakashita’s work is marked by a poetic minimalism that caught our eye back in 2018 with the Suki collection, which reinterpreted Isamu Noguchi’s classic ‘Akari’ lamps through suspended geometric forms crafted from tengujō-washi paper and wire frames, casting intricate, shifting shadows. In ‘Haku’, as in his other collections, Sakashita invites us to experience the beauty of tradition reimagined through a modern lens. His pieces tell stories – of nature, culture and craftsmanship – reminding us that the boundary between object and artwork is wonderfully porous.