Based in Antwerp, Belgium, the accessories brand "KOMONO" focuses on sophisticated products such as watches and sunglasses. Komono's simple, unisex designs and elegant visuals are appealing to Japanese consumers, and its popularity is growing with the opening of a flagship store in Harajuku, Tokyo. Shinya Endo, who has designed a wide range of spaces, from magazines and films to model rooms and window displays, will talk about the appeal of "KOMONO" with his sensibility as an interior stylist. We accompanied Mr. Endo to his favorite stores and asked him about the appeal of "comono," his sense of time, and his lifestyle.
Interior stylist. . He worked as an assistant while attending a technical school he entered after graduating from college, and six years later he started his own business. She creates various styles of interiors without limiting men's or women's styles, tastes, etc. . . He is active in magazines, websites, and advertisements. . Hobbies include fishing and outdoor activities.
We create a "lingering scent" of people in the space.
At "Leaf Blossom".
We heard that you started your current career after graduating from university.
endoI wanted to dig into DIY and redecorating, which I had always done on a hobby level. When I was looking for a vocational school after graduating from college, I found a school where Katsuya Kubokawa, who was active in the interior design magazines that were popular when I was in high school, was an instructor. He later became my mentor, but there were far fewer male interior stylists. I wanted to create a masculine and luxurious space, so I really wanted to learn from Kubokawa. In the end, I hardly went to school at all, and Mr. Kubokawa just took me to his workplaces, and I spent six years as his assistant. Then I started my own business.
Has your work ethic changed since becoming independent?
endoMy master is really good at creating a single, beautiful picture. Of course, I have only seen how he does it, but since becoming independent, I try to add my own essence to it.
What is your "essence?"
endoI would like to add a "human touch" to the space. Rather than making everything beautiful, I imagine what kind of people are in the room and scatter them around so that we can see their characters and their lives. For example, I make dents in the cushions as if a person were sitting on them. For example, a scrap of paper on the table. Of course, all of these are "lies," but it is fun to make people imagine that someone was in the space just a short time ago.
I like minimalist objects with minimalist functions.
You wore "Comono" today. Do you usually wear a watch?
endoYes, you check the time on your watch, not on your smartphone.
Why wear a wristwatch when a smart phone will do the job?
endoI think multifunctional products are wonderful, but I am more attracted to products that have only the essential functions. I like things that can only do this. So I think the ultimate form of timekeeping is a watch.
Left: KOM-W2271 (worn by Mr. Endo) ¥10,800+TAX, Right: KOM-W1947 ¥12,800+TAX
As an interior stylist, what is your impression of Comono?
endoThere is a Japanese firm of first-class architects called "Mount Fuji Architects Studio," and I felt the strangeness of the combination in this watch, similar to their architecture. By combining different materials in a simple way, I think it gives a new look to the watch as a whole. The face with its sharp edges gives a masculine impression, while the leather with a bit of grain also creates a soft atmosphere.
Sunglasses: KOM-S2555 ¥12,800+TAX
You yourself have some leather products in today's coordination.
endoPerhaps I like "leather in a combination of different materials" more than leather itself. Among leather brands, I am attracted to brands that use leather in unique ways. There is a trend in the interior industry to combine different materials, and colors such as deep green and deep blue have been attracting attention since last year. I feel that these characteristics of [Comono] have something in common with interior design.
Push yourself with the clock, and sometimes release it.
At "Noteworks."
When do you become conscious of how you deal with time?
endoWhen I am at work, I try to be on time. I like to look at things, and I can stay in the same store for hours. But when I have to research, for example, "I have to research X number of stores by this date," I have to be constantly aware of the time and try to push myself. You could say that I wear a watch for that reason. On the contrary, I often go camping on vacation to free myself of that. At those times, I don't mind if not only my watch but also my phone is out of charge. When I am working in Tokyo, I can't help but get into work mode, so I create a situation where I can't do that at all. The way I treat time is very different between work and private life.
Always check the store evenly so that information is not biased.
You probably go to various stores for research, both for work and personal use.
endoI try not to set any particular limits on what kind of stores I visit, such as interior design or general merchandise, and I visit them all. However, I naturally gravitate toward stores where I know people or where I am friendly with the staff. If it is a furniture store, I will ask them about their recent purchases and what they have been up to. Furniture is not something you can buy very often, so it is also a strategy to disguise the fact that I don't shop by talking about it (laughs).
Noteworks" is just such a place, isn't it?
endoThat's right. We got to know each other through work, and now we are very good friends. In fact, I am currently having a garage sale called "Endo Shoten" (until May 20, 2018), in which I am allowed to display my personal belongings that I collected when I moved to a new place. To be clear, I didn't accept the interview for the purpose of advertising the sale, right? (Laughs)
What kind of restaurant is Habana for you?
endoThere are some pretty things, but they also have a lot of wild flowers and plants, which are called wildflowers, and I recommend them because they are easy to enter, even for men. After all, I am often involved in men's magazines, so this kind of store is very useful for me.
Good styling is not a matter of good taste.
Looking at your work, you have a wide range of tastes.
endoI dare not decide what taste I like there. The key to my work is not my sense of style, but how much I know about things. In order to keep proposing things that exceed the client's image, it is necessary to present a number of options and think about them together, rather than imposing my own favorite style. To do this, it is important to know how much you know about things as a base. However, because people talk about how much they love camping, requests for outdoor living and other things that I am good at naturally come to me.
Are there things in your daily life that you become aware of as an occupational hazard, so to speak?
endoWhen I watch a movie, I am so focused on the interior design that I don't get into the story at all (laughs). (Laughs.) I would think, "This is a cool way to decorate the room," or "I didn't know they matched the color with the decorations. Of course, this sometimes comes in handy in my work.
Endo's personal items for sale at Noteworks.
I understand that you have recently moved, but is even your own living space still an extension of your work?
endoEver since I was living in my parents' house, my room has been the only place outside of work where I could experiment with various things. From large-scale projects such as putting up boards and building columns, to pulling out items used for photo shoots and decorating them, to using a type of glass that I don't normally use. If I didn't like it, I would sometimes redecorate in two days.
For example, is there an easy way for us amateurs to make a room look more inviting? When we want to redecorate, where should we start?
endoIt is often said that changing something that covers a large area is effective. However, it is difficult to change the floor or walls, so try changing "fabrics" such as rugs and curtains, in other words, things that are visible on the surface. For example, just hanging a piece of fabric on a sofa can completely change the atmosphere of a room. Just hanging a piece of fabric on the sofa is a good idea.
