The Crit #21: Tomoko Azumi
How do designers feel about their past work? Which projects make their hearts sing with pride, and which continue to play on their minds? The Crit, a podcast by Disegno, has the answers!
Each fortnight, Disegno’s editor-in-chief Oli Stratford invites a leading designer to Kef Music Gallery to review their own work. Our guest reveals what worked best; what failed; what pushed their career to new heights; what feedback most shaped their practice; and what they feel needs to be redesigned.
At the end of each episode, to complete their crit, they’ll be asked to give themselves a grade for their career to date: fail, pass, commendation or distinction.
It’s a design-school crit, delivered every fortnight! Subscribe to the show here, or sign up wherever you get your podcasts from.
Our twenty-first guest on The Crit is Tomoko Azumi, founder of TNA Design Studio, accompanied by show host Oli Stratford.
Episode #21: Tomoko Azumi
Tomoko Azumi is the founder of TNA Design Studio, a London-based practice that works across furniture, products, interiors and exhibition design, and is known for its sensitivity towards history, context, and material and production processes.
From the Flow Chair she designed for Ercol to suit smaller homes in East Asia, to the minimalist LEM stool for La Palma which has been in production for 25 years, Azumi’s designs aspire to bring quality and tranquility to everyday life.
Her work is included in public collections such as the V&A, the Crafts Council and the Stedelijk Museum, and she has worked with clients including the UK Supreme Court, the British Council and London Design Festival.
In this episode, Azumi visits the studio to talk about early struggles to understand design theory, the differences between the design industry in Japan and the UK, designing furniture for the UK Supreme Court, and the importance of making models by hand.
Show Notes: Tomoko Azumi
Best design: Flow Chair for Ercol and a trolley for the UK Supreme Court
Worst design: Chairs for the UK Supreme Court
Most successful design: LEM stool for La Palma
Most impactful feedback: The V&A and the Crafts Council putting pieces from her graduation show in their permanent collections
Dream design: DIY kits for paper modelling
This episode of The Crit was recorded at KEF Music Gallery London.
The Crit’s graphics were created by Leonhard Rothmoser.
The Crit’s music was created by Yuri Suzuki and Team Suzuki.