no feeling of a struggle to create the amazing space,he always start to planning the design by drawing the sketch with his inspiration which comes from his memories play in the mountains or fields in his boyhood.Japanese Interior Designer Hiroki Michishita, he always adopt the elements and sensitivity of Mother nature into his design works instinctively.
Leaves,Trees,Flowers,birds,Insects.......every natural resources show it's characteristic expression and design,their beauty is made with the long term of removal of excess and only the retention of the necessary.
The grains of wood ,patterns of active fault, such textures are impressive never made by human technology. The smell of air,sound of small river, wind blowing.....those elements are also the important resources to feel us the peaceful time.
He is surely good at fitting those kind of natural sensitivity to make the modern space design. That might be the reason why his designed works never grow us tired and keep us comfortable for a long time.
Japanese Restaurant SUGAHARA is located in city of Osaka.
This project is also full of Michishita's sensitivity.The facade is look like a cumulonimbus cloud and the stairs seems leading us to go up to the Heaven.
Climb up the entrance stairs and once step into the inside of the restaurant,the space is well produced with the warmly comfortable atmosphere with woods,stones and greens which makes us to forget the noise of outside street.
The unique wooden lattice doors well produce the atmosphere of tipical Japanese house. In this case, due to the strict regulation of fire flammability that he could not use the thick solid wood., Instead, he adopt the 3 plyed veneer with the inflammable paper inside,and and of course the edge is covered with same veneer which looks like net with real solid wood.
Wall panels and furniture is also made with same "Java" veneer which produce the atmosphere,not strongly Japanese, but modern. 
So many new designed projects appear in nowadays,and we trend to be inflexible that the design must be very impressive and amazing one. But sometimes, those flamboyant design would be disappeard soon with tiresomeness.
However Michishita's design work never strongly force the strong impression on us, but it just feel us comfortable. He is surely the designer who recognize what "design" must work for.
*Japanese 日本語訳
子どものころに野山で遊びながら見ていた景色や体で覚えた感覚をもとにスケッチのドローイングを始める。
日本を代表するインテリアデザイナー 道下浩樹氏は自然界にあるデザインの要素や感性を本能的にそのデザインワークに取り入れている。葉、樹、石、花、鳥、虫・・・全ての自然界を構成する物質には長年に渡り無駄を取り除いてきた合理的な形が存在し、まさにそれは究極のデザインであり、樹の杢理、活断層の模様・・・それらのテクスチャーは決して人間がそのテクノロジーを持っても表現できない不思議な力を持ち、また大気の香りや、小川が流れる音、土の匂い・・・は人々に安らぎを与える大切な要素であると彼は語る。彼はこのような自然界における要素を空間デザインに取り入れているのであろう。彼の携わったプロジェクトは斬新ながらも快適で飽きのこない、そして何故か懐かしさをかんじさせられるものが多い。
大阪郊外の日本料理店”すがはら”は、道下氏らしいセンスが伺われる。入道雲のようなファザード、そして天へ導いてくれるような階段が出迎える。店内に足を踏み入れるとそこは樹や石、緑をふんだんに使った暖かい空間が広がり、繁華街の雑音を忘れさせるようだ。
木を編みこんだ個性あふれる建具は、個室の内と外を微妙な関係で繋ぐデザインであり、壁面と同様"Java"の突板で装飾されている。和の雰囲気を持ちつつもモダンな雰囲気を作る樹種だ。無垢感を大切にする道下氏ではあるが、不燃等の内装制限や意匠デザインの関係で突板も多く採用している。この建具も不燃処理された突板パネルに小口装飾を施し、無垢調に仕上げている。
最近、斬新で強いインパクトを持つデザインが目立つ中、直ぐに飽きられしまうデザインも少なくない。しかしながら道下氏が手がける自然の摂理を基としたデザインワークは、斬新でありつつも、飽きの来ない、いつまでも心地よさを持ち続ける現場が多い。デザインは誰の為にあるのか？彼はそのことを良く理解しているデザイナーなのであろう。
This year the 30th National Veneer Exhibition would be held in Osaka(March 11th-14th INTEX OSAKA). 
