Dress: Pottery Furniture Collection

An Interior Design Collection and Installation by Masahiro Kito

Dress is an innovative interior design collection and installation created by renowned designer Masahiro Kito. Inspired by the traditional pottery production in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Kito sought to capture the lightness and beauty of pottery in his furniture designs. However, he also aimed to address the challenge of creating stronger pieces while preserving the delicate nature of the material.

What sets Dress apart is its unique use of pottery to bring a sense of delicateness into daily life. The collection features hanging cloth expressed in porcelain, creating a "momentary space" that defies gravity. To achieve the necessary strength for installation, sheets of cloth are first soaked in clay and then baked in layers.

The realization of Dress involves a meticulous process. Glass cloth is dipped in slurry and baked in layers at a temperature of 1150 degrees for a day. To maintain the desired shape, reinforcement with sand or similar materials is employed. The result is a visually attractive pottery with spatial performance output, making it an eye-catching addition to any interior.

Dress offers a range of interior decoration options, including chairs, tables, and lighting fixtures. Each piece showcases an organic, natural shape that serves as an accent to your living space. The dimensions of the collection are as follows: [chair] W450, D450, H960, SH350 [desk] W400, D320, H600.

Starting its journey in May 2019, the Dress project underwent extensive research and development. The culmination of this effort was an exhibition held at Nagoya University of the Arts in February 2020. Through experimentation with porcelain materials and the use of an electric kiln, Kito successfully expanded the possibilities of pottery, resulting in a visually stunning and functionally versatile collection.

The creation of Dress was not without its challenges. Finding the right cloth to use as a mold proved to be a hurdle, as it needed to be water-absorbent, quick-drying, and heat-resistant. Traditional materials like cotton and nylon fell short in meeting these requirements. However, Kito overcame this obstacle by utilizing glass cloth made of glass fiber. This material not only absorbed the slurry evenly but also dried quickly. With the application of heat, the pottery gained the necessary strength for its intended purpose.

Dress has received recognition for its exceptional design and craftsmanship. It was awarded the Bronze A' Design Award in the Fine Arts and Art Installation Design category in 2022. This prestigious accolade is bestowed upon designs that demonstrate outstanding creativity, resourcefulness, and technical skills. Dress exemplifies the fusion of art, science, design, and technology, contributing to improvements in quality of life and making the world a better place.

Photo: Masahiro Kito, 2020