The esteemed 10 recognises influential voices in the architecture and design community in 2025. Criterion is based on approach, notable achievements and completed and anticipated projects.
This piece originally appeared in est magazine issue 55: ‘Faces of Design’.
Keiji Ashizawa Design
Founder Keiji Ashizawa
Tokyo, Japan
My design work is best summed up as:
”Honest Design”. I’m not sure if I’ve achieved this yet, but it’s a philosophy I’m always striving for.
What aspects of your work are people most curious about?
In the spaces and architecture I create, people often say it feels comfortable. That’s exactly the kind of experience I aim to evoke—spaces where people feel at ease.
What has recently challenged the way you think about design?
I approach space comprehensively, from architecture to furniture and styling. Though I’m still working toward the ideal, envisioning a space in its entirety has been no easy task.
What person, building, product or art piece has had a lasting impact on your work?
I’ve been deeply influenced by many things, from traditional Japanese architecture to gardens. If I had to name one, Katsura Imperial Villa has been influential. Also, the craftsmanship of Jean Prouvé and the relationship between space and sculpture in Isamu Noguchi’s work, to name a few.
The three words I would most like people to attribute to my work are:
Simplicity, honest, craft.
What is the one piece of advice you would share with an emerging designer?
Keep making by hand, and keep drawing.
Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design?
Of course, encounters in architecture and museums are valuable, but there are also great designs to discover by opening our eyes to the wider world.
Something you want to see more of in 2025? And less of?
In 2025, I hope to see more ‘culture’ and less ‘war and walls (boundaries)’.
"Simplicity, honest, craft"
– Keiji Ashizawa
