Design Anthology - Asia Pacific Edition
Simplicity at Home
by Yumiko Sekine with Jenny Wapner (Chronicle Books)
‘My lifestyle and aesthetic — simple, minimal, a mix of Japanese and Western influences — is common here, but it may not be familiar to people outside the country,' writes Yumiko Sekine, founder of lifestyle brand fog linen work. ‘ Simplicity at Home is my chance to show you this modern Japanese style, and how you can adapt it to suit your own home and life.'
Subtitled Japanese Rituals, Recipes, and Arrangements for Thoughtful Living, the book is created in several parts, with an initial section on linen giving way to treatments of each season. The photography privileges the materiality of Sekine's world: raw concrete, wood, natural fibres, repurposed objects, books, ceramics and fabrics provide a rich textural palette contrasting with muted, soothing colours. Sekine's seasonal focus comes through particularly strongly in the food preparation (from recipes to pickling) and instructions on preparing the home for upcoming seasons. She covers a wide variety of home activities, from kintsugi to air-drying vegetables and dyeing clothes, with a resources section covering shopping around the world and eating in Tokyo. It's a how-to whose guidance can be actioned immediately or used to dream in the meantime.