Elegantly balancing practicality with refined design, furniture specialist Stellar Works fuses Japanese sensibilities with a base of operations in Shanghai. Its recent two-part installation THOUGHT / FUL, presented at this year’s 3daysofdesign festival in Copenhagen, offered a tranquil reimagining of interior space.

Responding to the encompassing theme – ‘Make this moment matter’ – of this year’s 3daysofdesign festival, Stellar Works presented a sensory exploration of how the hospitality sector regards interior space. Split between two distinct areas, THOUGHT and FUL, the installation fulfilled the brand’s ambitions as a producer of more than just furniture.

Speaking to Australian Design Review, Stellar Works CEO Daisuke Hironaka says, “I would be happy if visitors remember Stellar Works furniture not only as physical objects, but as something that can hold time, emotion and human connection. We wanted to create an experience that does not speak too loudly, but quietly stays in people’s memory afterwards.”

This ambition was clearly achieved in the two spaces on display at Copenhagen this year. The first experience, THOUGHT, was designed to evoke a sense of stillness and tranquillity. Assembling the various materials and forms of each piece, with careful consideration as to the effects of light and spatial distance, Hironaka invited visitors to “open their senses and become more attentive to what is around them”.

The second space, FUL, had a more layered impact, combined with a stronger sense of human presence. The intended atmosphere of this part of the installation was that of a restaurant or a hotel lounge – a space where, Hironaka explains, “people gather, talk and spend time together”.

“In this space, furniture does not exist as an isolated object, but becomes part of the relationships between people and the atmosphere of the place,” he says.

The overriding ambition of the two spaces was to present furniture in such a way as to not be viewed simply as objects, but to create an experience that would cause visitors to become physically aware of the time they were spending in this environment.

This informs the essential view of hospitality upheld by Stellar Works, in which the focus is placed upon, as Hironaka says, “how much care and thought we can bring to the people in that space, and to the moments they spend there”.

Creating spaces that work in the real world

A prominent element within Stellar Works’ approach to design is its grounding in the hospitality industry. Pure aesthetics are not enough; the pieces need to withstand thousands of customer rotations and repositions, endlessly reconfigured for a variety of purposes and party sizes. In all areas, material beauty must be matched by durability.

“Hotels and restaurants can look very beautiful and perfectly arranged in photographs, but in reality they are much more complex and human,” Hironaka says. “People eat, meet, work, talk, wait and sometimes spend quiet time alone in these spaces.”

Accordingly, a high degree of significance is placed on using spaces in ways that genuinely reflect the movements and actions of the people inhabiting them. An object’s aesthetic value is rendered moot when failing to align with any practical application.

As Hironaka says, “Comfort, circulation, durability, maintenance and ease of use for the staff are all essential considerations.”

In tandem with creating spaces that continue to operate in the real world for extended periods of time, Stellar Works also ensures a sense of occasion within every interior it has a hand in designing.

“We want to bring warmth, dignity, and a memorable atmosphere to the space.”

More flexible, more useful, more considerate

The new Atelier sofas selected for display at 3daysofdesign are the clearest embodiment of Stellar Works’ fusion of beauty and practicality. Featuring integrated trays and companion tables, designed to optimise flexibility while retaining an aesthetic sculptural element, the sofas are strongly directed to real world hospitality settings.  

The intended placements of the Atelier range occupy every corner of the industry, from hotel lobbies and lounges, to bars and waiting areas in restaurants. “In contemporary hospitality,” Hironaka says, “one space is rarely limited to only one function. In the morning, it may be a place to have coffee. During the day, it may become a place for a casual meeting. In the evening, it may turn into a space for cocktails and conversation.”

The integration, then, of trays and side tables into the sofas’ design allows their occupants to naturally orientate themselves within any setting for any purpose. Whether they need to fire off some emails on their laptop or flick through a newspaper in between meetings, the Atelier sofas are designed to balance every state of mind at any hour of the day.

“We see Atelier as a sofa system that helps make spaces more flexible, more useful and more considerate of the people who use them,” Hironaka says. This even-handed approach to usable, everyday beauty informs the drive behind Stellar Works’ overall ethos as a furniture specialist.

So, too, did its THOUGHT / FUL installation at 3daysofdesign inform the direction in which the company is heading in the future. As Hironaka concludes, the brand is striving for “design that is quiet but rich, thoughtful and close to the way people spend time. That, for us, is a new form of luxury”.

3daysofdesign one of the most influential design exhibitions in the global creative calendar and takes place each year in Copenhagen. This year’s event took place from 10-12 June.

Top image: Stellar Works, Daisuke Hironaka: Photo: Matthew Donaldson.

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