EXPLORE
Movato
  • Interior Design
    • Bathroom
    • Bedroom
    • Decor
    • Design Finds
    • Kitchen
    • Living Room
    • Paint
    • Renovations
  • Architecture
  • Landscape
  • Lifestyle
    • People
    • Places
    • Things
  • About Us
Movato
EXPLORE
Home in Canada
No Result
View All Result

Q&A: Montreal Designer Mitz Takahashi

by Marlee Kostiner
April 30, 2014
Share on FacebookPin itTweet itSend it

 

 

 

 

Montreal-based Mitz Takahashi has the rare combination of consummate humility and supreme talent. His sleek wood pieces are charming, highly-designed and, best of all, often recycled. “Wood is timeles,” says the Osaka native. “Depending on the design, wood can be sleek and sophisticated, or it can look earthy and rustic.”
When did you realize you wanted to design furniture? I always enjoyed making things. I have a degree in fine arts, so designing furniture is an extension of wanting to create things that are functional as well as aesthetically pleasing.

What do you like most about what you do? I enjoy meeting other really inspiring creative people. It’s also very rewarding to transform a vague idea in my head into a real, tangible item. It’s like imagining a great ice cream flavour, like eggnog frozen yogurt, and being able to make it a reality.

How would you describe your style? I am influenced by simplicity of mid-century modern designers such as Finn Juhl, Poul Henningsen, Dieter Rams. I’m fond of Japanese aesthetics in general. I currently use mostly recycled wood, but I’m still exploring my style. I’m interested in working with other materials such as concrete, silicon, fabric etc. This is a tough question for me since I still feel like a teenager trying to find myself.

What inspires you? My family and friends are my biggest inspirations. I just want to make them proud. All I want to do is show how great my parents are by working hard and designing great pieces. I also enjoy cooking, music, architecture, graphic design and writing stories. Sometimes I need to relax away from design. Ideas come to me when I least expect it, like when I’m waiting in the line at the grocery store or playing with my cat.

What is it about wood that you like so much? Depending on the design, wood can be sleek and sophisticated, or it can look earthy and rustic. Wood is timeless; if you sand down 100-year-old wood and give it a couple of new coats of oil, it will look brand new. Because of its ability to last generations, wood tends to hold a lot of history and memories. I went to Japan last October for my father’s funeral and saw a chair from childhood. I remembered jumping off this chair when I was a boy. I remembered how I sat in that particular chair almost 17 years ago and thought about coming to Canada for school. I want my furniture to be like that chair: have a timeless quality and become part of people’s lives.

What advice would you give to aspiring furniture designers? I still need advice myself! But I would say work hard and keep trying until you are happy with your designs. I would also pass on the best advice I learned from my parents: always be polite and respectful of others, and help people when they are in need.

For more information about Mitz Takahashi, visit www.mitztakahashi.com

Related Posts

Nights at the Round Table—and Breakfast, too!
Design Finds

Nights at the Round Table—and Breakfast, too!

September 9, 2021

The legendary King Arthur is said to have chosen a round table for his court so that his knights would...

Mother’s Day Gift Guide
Design Finds

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

May 11, 2017

Treat your mom to one of these wonderful gifts on her special day.

Architecture

A Silk Purse from a Sow’s Ear

December 22, 2015

It was a former retirement home, a quadruplex on a block of similar buildings in NDG, most of which were...

Decor

IT’S IN THE DETAILS

December 22, 2015

Coach houses were originally utilitarian buildings – garages for horse-drawn carriages and, later, automobiles – with living quarters above for...

Architecture

AN ENDURING LOVE

December 21, 2015

The proximity of a condo to the dining, nightlife and cultural activities of downtown Montreal sold Salvatore Falci and his...

Decor

FROM BRUTAL TO BEAUTIFUL

November 20, 2015

Brutal. It’s not a word one often associates with a backyard, but landscape architect Myke Hodgins had hit upon the...

Next Post
Breakdown of Hiring a Designer

Breakdown of Hiring a Designer

  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Issues
Made with ❤️ in Montréal

© 2020 Home in Canada

No Result
View All Result
  • Interior Design
    • Bathroom
    • Bedroom
    • Decor
    • Design Finds
    • Kitchen
    • Living Room
    • Paint
    • Renovations
  • Architecture
  • Landscape
  • Lifestyle
    • People
    • Places
    • Things
  • About Us

© 2020 Home in Canada