Less is alot More? Maybe. Jasmine

Let’s see… What is Spatial Design? Spatial design is the design of human environment, anywhere and everywhere we live in. It incorporates the aspects of interior design, architecture, urban design, landscape design, as well as public art. Well, the list goes on.

Traditionally, when designers deal with spaces, they stick to their field of specialty. That is, if you are an interior designer, there is no means for you to care about what the exterior façade looks like. Spatial design is a relatively new discipline that gives designers more rooms to explore the cross boundaries of traditional design discipline as mentioned. [1]

In the design world, every single designer has got his or her own design philosophy, or rather, his or her own design principle. E.g. Japanese are known to be simple yet sophisticated (generally when it comes to spatial design). Why is it so? Looking into their rich history of their architecture forms and culture, it is not difficult to relate how Japanese architects and designers develop their own principles. Take for example the Zen garden and Ikebana. Both are in their simplest form of presentation and yet produce breathtaking results.

In another words, Less is More.

Lets look into 2 very young architects' work. They are really outstanding in the current design world. 

This is a stand-alone cafe designed by Tanijiri Makoto, named Cafe la Miell located at Niihama, Ehime. The whole design form is so simple that it can easily be identified as a landmark. It is just an enlarged triangular-shaped cafe, yet it has its own impact.

However design is never simple. There is always a reason why the orientation is in this placing instead of the other way round.

Since the cafe needed parking, the wall facing the car is completely opaque, yet, as customer turn the corner, the cafe's dominant concrete components part allow light to flood into the seat area. From the inside, the dialogue between the heavy concrete and the open glass create a pleasant setting to enjoy a coffee. [2]  

 Image taken from official website of Suppose design office

Such design may be simple, but it is absolutely not boring. This form of design reflects deeply on what does it mean by less is more.  

Ever wonder about living in such an "opened space"? This is a house designed by Fujimoto Sou, a home for two + a dog. Imagine the house to be like a...hmmm... cabbage? With 3 layers of shells nesting between one another. The outermost shell covers the entire premise, creating a semi-secluded garden. [3]

Second shell encloses a space interconnected to the outermost shell. You can always enjoy your garden while having afternoon tea on your dining table.

Image taken from Archdaily

Last but not least, the third layer is definitely the interior space where the owners build their lives in.

Design rationale from the architect:
That is why life in this house resembles to living among the clouds. A distinct boundary is nowhere to be found, except for a gradual change in the domain. One might say that an ideal architecture is an outdoor space that feels like the indoors and an indoor space that feels like the outdoors. In a nested structure, the inside is invariably the outside, and vice versa. My intention was to make an architecture that is not about space nor about form, but simply about expressing the riches of what are `between` houses and streets. [4]

While not all designers adopt the same design principle due to their background and culture. But we do see the how it greatly influent their creativity into approaching design. Less is more

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[1] Spatial Design (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 12, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spatial_design

[2] Cafe la miel (n.d.). In Hidden Treasure Magazine. Retrieved June 12, 2012, from http://www.hiddentreasuresmag.com/index.php/architecture/1210-architecture-cafe-la-miel-japan
[3] House N/Sou Fujimoto (2011, September 14). In Archdaily. Retrieved June, 12, 2012, from http://www.archdaily.com/7484/house-n-sou-fujimoto/
[4]Ibid.