TOKYO SHOW HOUSE

About The Entry

NUDE — Redefining “Real” Through Tactile Space

NUDE was an interior installation presented as part of Tokyo Showhouse, a curated design event held in Tokyo.

The project emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when online communication rapidly replaced physical interaction. Against this backdrop, the installation questioned what “real” truly means, and sought to reconsider how people relate to one another through space.

The title NUDE refers not only to physical nakedness, but also to a state of honesty — being unadorned, unguarded, and free from pretense. The design deliberately rejected excessive decoration and visual vanity, aiming instead to express a space that declares: “This is who I truly am.” It was an attempt to strip away artificial layers and reveal an interior with emotional transparency.

The conceptual foundation draws from three sources:

Edogawa Rampo’s short story The Human Chair, the quantum thought experiment Schrödinger’s Cat, and the texture of human skin. These references explore uncertainty of existence — Are you there, or not? — combined with a sense of intimacy, vulnerability, and subtle unease. This ambiguity became central to the spatial narrative.

A nuanced, stone-toned color scheme, natural-modern furnishings, dried flowers, and environmentally conscious elements were used to shape an organic interior atmosphere. The space was designed to feel alive — carrying a sense of humidity, warmth, and bodily presence rather than visual perfection.

In reflecting on the nature of reality, the project arrived at a simple conclusion: real is what can be touched.

In a life where virtual and physical experiences coexist seamlessly, the defining difference lies in whether something possesses tangible presence. For this reason, the installation was intentionally designed to invite physical contact. Visitors were encouraged not only to observe the space, but to touch it — to confirm its existence through their own bodies.

NUDE proposes that interior design can restore human connection by appealing to the senses, reminding us that reality begins where touch is possible.