DAFT ABOUT DRAFT BY TAIJU YAMASHITA

Images courtesy of Daft

“Happiness Through Design” Debuted At Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023

Taiju Yamashita, designer and architect, born in 1981 in Tokyo, found the design studio DRAFT in 2008 where he, together with a team of more than one hundred and eighty people, devotes himself to a wide range of projects ranging from interior design to architecture, from industrial design to branding. He is an expert in how individuals move through spaces.

Yamashita’s design concept, which has always been based on the philosophy “HAPPINESS THROUGH DESIGN“, aims to contribute to the improvement of society and the human experience. In all his work, the significance of the role a space can play is present. In search of the perfect place to spend time in comfort, he created DAFT about DRAFT, a new brand of original and refined furniture designed by him.

Daft about Draft was presented for the first time on the international design stage: Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, which takes place from 18 to 23 April 2023.

Presented by Coulisse | INK

DAFT about DRAFT – the translation of which is ‘crazy about design’ – the designer offers the opportunity to feel at ease surrounded by sophisticated furnishings that dictate the latest trends. The style of the collection, the result of a hybridisation of styles, opens a channel between East and West and responds to the needs of the new generations to experience environments with a cosmopolitan approach, feeling ‘at home’ – whether in their own residence or in a hotel – anywhere in the world.

From Tokyo to Miami, from Dubai to New York, young people today prefer a decorative fusion style, in line with the latest trends in fashion, art, music and cuisine, which goes beyond the minimalism of Japanese tradition. But attracted by the fascination of the Rising Sun, it also has a strong appeal to peers from every other part of the world. Because the creativity that comes to life in Taiju Yamashita’s designs is comparable to the freedom of expression and cheerfulness that is characteristic of the fashion world.

“I normally oversee architectural design, large-scale urban development concepts, and the interior design of offices, hotels, etc… and now I also do product design. I have travelled to more than fifty cities across the globe and seen many things, but I learnt that it is always people’s stories from which ideas originate.” ends the designer. “I want our products that fuse with people very close to be like fashion in that they are free, gentle, and elaborate so that they may stay by people’s side throughout the long journey of life.” – Taiju Yamashita

Sofa ZA-01

DAFT about DRAFT is a brand born in Tokyo that enriches urban living. The brand challenges the restricted space of the city and its monotonous lifestyle. Just like a delicate flower that blooms rebelliously out of concrete pavement on the street, DAFT about DRAFT proposes a design that helps to express the uniqueness of individuals.

Living Chair Coron-01

“Sometimes challenging traditions, for the first DAFT about DRAFT collection, we wanted to design with a sense of freedom and humour without being bound by stereotypes, and we express this overflowing sense of playfulness through our products. I was been thinking about how to propose a more personalized and freer lifestyle, just like choosing clothes, in contrast to the homogenized lifestyles we are used to.” – Taiju Yamashita.

Living Chair Phone 01

A play of light and shadow at Salone del Mobile.Milano
The poetic concept of the stand created for the Salone del Mobile in Milan was designed to stimulate the imagination and capture the Interest: the projection of the silhouettes of the furniture of the collection on the ancient Japanese washi paper that wraps around the stand, recalling a traditional Japanese screen, suggests something, but without showing the complete image. It captures the attention arousing an emotion in those who pass outside, even before realizing it, have already been captured by the vision of the world of DAFT about DRAFT. From the outside, in fact, the amount of information is minimized, but the allure of the brand is perceived at a glance.

Living Chair Phone-02

The Collection
Sofa ZA-01 inspired by traditional Japanese ideology, Living Chair Coron-01: the beauty of curves created through a person’s presence, Living Chair Phone 01, Living Chair Phone-02 (playfulness & tradition), Dining Chair Fabline-01: brilliantly adorning your table, Living Chair Warm-01: the little luxury hidden in everyday life, Living Chair CLO-01: experience authenticity to know true comfort, Shelf Stripe-01 : bringing softness and light to the shelf, Sofa Rattan-01 : for a naturally modern and relaxing experience.

Dining Chair Fabline-01

Living Chair Warm-01

Living Chair CLO-01

Shelf Stripe-01

Sofa Rattan-01