My Daily Recommendation: Day 226 - 'Terence Conran: Designing Modern Britain'

'Terence Conran: Designing Modern Britain' Tokyo Station Gallery - Art

Plain Simple Useful!!!
Proposing simple, functional products without any waste during the glamorous era of Swinging London is just too cool, isn't it?
Well, even though the foundation was there since it's the home of the Arts and Crafts movement, I think storage-style furniture, which is common now, was quite revolutionary at the time. Don't you think people might have found it a bit too plain?
Looking at it now, it really is the current style. It's totally 'now.' I can't believe it's from the 60s because it feels so contemporary. So cool. It makes me want to live in a room like that.
Scandinavian products are the same, but I wonder if 'Plain Simple Useful' is something that transcends time? Does it mean it's not constrained by time or place? Wow, I thought it was great and I really loved it. The textiles were cute too.
That said, the faint scent of the 60s is also nice. The catalogs were full of that 60s psychedelic vibe, which was irresistible.

The recreation of the lifestyle shop 'habitat' was also great! This is also something that's not rare at all now, but the style of displaying stock on the floor was apparently started by 'habitat'!!!
For us, this display style is a familiar sight—it's become a standard—but it means they truly practiced 'selling a style' rather than just physical objects, based on the concept of 'Plain Simple Useful.' I was also drawn to the spirit of making it possible to pick up things you want, not just things you need.

Also, something I thought was important enough to be on a test is his business acumen. Terence Conran was such an entrepreneur and businessman. I thought that set him apart from just being a designer.
He created a shop that sold a lifestyle, designed even food (managing restaurants, including architecture, interior, and product supervision—and he started that at 60! Amazing.), and redeveloped a wasteland by the river to coordinate the whole area. Isn't his eye for these things brilliant? Regarding the redevelopment, I'm sure Yokohama definitely used it as a reference!

It's thrilling to think that he kept designing everything from the micro level of people's daily lives to the macro level of society. It's like he was packaging and selling entire cities; he was truly a go-getter. No wonder the Conran Shop still exists today. He had such a broad perspective. There's still one in Nishi-Shinjuku, too. It's been 30 years since the first store opened in Japan! Wow.

In his later years, he moved to the countryside, partnered with furniture workshops to provide employment opportunities for local youth, and contributed to society in many ways. And he lived a long life, which surprised me!

He has so many achievements that it seems like he should be better known as an entrepreneur and businessman, but I didn't know that at all, so this exhibition was very interesting. Isn't this first solo exhibition focusing on his personality a huge success?! It was also cute that he liked the Michelin Man.

It wasn't crowded, and the volume was small enough to see through easily, which was nice. The admission fee was also 1,500 yen! Nothing but good feelings. I love the Station Gallery.

So, I recommend it.