
Shiro Kuramata
By Deyan Sudjic
The late Shiro Kuramata is the subject of this exquisitely produced new monograph from Phaidon. Housed in a perspex slipcase, the twin volumes provide a complete catalogue of Kuramata's poetically precise furniture and interiors, with the larger book containing essays and writings edited by Deyan Sudjic. Kuramata bridged the gap between modernism and post-modernism, transcending straight minimalism with playful subversions of simple form and a desire to push the boundaries of materials. Ultimately his interiors, mostly for retail clients, have proved transitory but the legacy of his approach still lingers in everything from high street design - from the likes of Muji - to the emergence of the design art furniture movement.
Published by Phaidon, £100
Writer: Jonathan Bell