Life is often shaped by the spaces we move through.
The streets we return to, the rooms we build and the conversations that sharpen what we already know but have not yet found the words for.
For Micco, a designer from Tokyo, Japan, specialized in spatial design for events, exhibitions and internal spaces - everyday is shaped by observation, translating ideas into form, and finding herself in the intersections between people, cities, old things and new.
ROOM is a space where we document these lived moments, thoughts and interactions. A look at snippets of life as it unfolds, watching our pieces lived in, the allowance to be and nuances in between.
Our third edition of [ ROOM ] comes alive through Micco's reflections on the spaces that restore her, the colours that hold her different sides, and what it means to move through the world without letting her own axis waver.
What does a typical day look like for you?
"空間デザインを現実に落とし込めるよう、図面を描いています。
I work as a designer for events and exhibitions. I help to bring spatial designs to life by working on the blueprints and communicate them with the relevant contractors.
At the moment, I am mainly working on redesigning and renovating for a shared space at my workplace, with the aim of encouraging more active internal communication. My days are usually spent in meetings with team members, and a lot of planning which includes numbers and quotations, and preparing materials for internal presentations."
Recharging through movement, and being in touch with her surroundings
There is a depth that is often discovered when we choose to remain open to life, and connect with the things and people around us. It's always about exploring what's around her, and the interactions that come out of it that recharges Micco.
"It is not one specific place, but I often go for walks around the city.
I feel like I can return to myself when I immerse myself in an authentically localized place where no one is excluded. Regardless of age, position, or whether they live there or not, as long as it's a place where people can come alive and be themselves, where people meet people, and where the old and new (things) intersect, it just feels like there is a sense of ease and life can happen.
人とひと、古いものと新しいものの交差点に浸かると、自分を取り戻せる感覚があります。
Recently, I have been especially drawn to books, whether it's novels or essays... I feel like they allow me to take in the scenes that emerge from the writing at my own pace. There is a calmness, and comfort in that moment of immersion."
On being in the moment
"I feel energised whenever I get an a-ha moment. Like the moment when I think “This would be better!”, and that it's properly communicated to whoever I'm ideating or speaking with.
I get so intrigued because these moments comes to me not just as a sudden idea, but it feels like a cumulation of my experiences so far becoming condensed into a singular thought that breaks through like a flash of light. And it's funny because I also feel that I still lack the ability to control that flash of intuition while aligning it with reality.
今までの経験で感じ取っていたことが、ある一点で凝縮されて、閃光のように突き抜ける感覚です。"
Wearing the Jin Knit Tee in Dusty Pink
What style and expression looks like
"When it comes to styling, I do not have one fixed genre. I feel most like myself when I am able to wear clothes that match my mood at that moment.
その時の気分に合わせた服が着られている時に、自分らしいなと思います。
I also love to research trends and sometimes relate to them, but I feel most like myself when I can incorporate them in a way that feels original to me.
In spring and summer, I often lean towards a street-casual vibe. Because there are fewer layers in clothing, I admire people who can enjoy their “bare” or natural self. To enjoy that sense of simplicity, I find it fun to explore whether I can add things in a balanced way, through the use of accessories, small items, or just enough layering without forgetting comfort.
In autumn and winter, I like tend to lean towards a more classic palette. In recent days, I have also been collecting ties.
Styling the Jin Knit Tee with her own tie
One of the themes in my life is that I aspire to be a “gentlemanly person.” And on the days when I dress in that classical, almost menswear like style, that feeling becomes stronger, and it inspires me to conduct myself in a cool and composed way."
On what she appreciates in clothing and silhouette
"I value the perspective of whether the piece can coexist well with the person I want to become, and with the items already in my closet.
I also have great respect for silhouettes that understand the lines of the body, and that feel like they have considered not just the garment alone, but the person wearing it.
服単体ではなく、着るひとを考えていると感じるシルエットには、一目置いています。"
On which colours best represents her moods
"This is from the perspective of how others might see me, but I would say a gradation of orange and blue. Depending on the dynamics and trust I have built in my relationships, the emotions I show change. But both are important sides of myself.
Orange is when I wear a veil of confidence, as if I could become someone’s sun.
Blue is when I am thinking too deeply and becoming timid, or when I am seeking stillness.
誰かの太陽になれるような自信のベールを纏うときのオレンジ。
深く考えすぎて弱気になっている時、または静寂を求める時のブルー。
I feel that each of these colours becomes a gradation within my everyday life, shaping each day and who I am."
What does an allowance for yourself look like?
"I think it means accepting others.
In order to connect well with this world without changing my own firm inner axis, I feel that a certain breadth of capacity is necessary.
確固たる自分の軸を変えずに、この世界と上手く連携するには、器の広さが必要だと感じています。
Unexpected events that come from new experiences can become material for building that capacity. I think that may be what allows me to accept both the world and myself, without letting my own axis waver."
