Uncovering the inspiration behind the Grid Coat.⁠ ⁠ Japanese architecture has worked in grids for centuries. Used as a system of measurement, proportion, and structure, the grid relies on careful precision, natural materials and traditional craftsmanship.⁠ ⁠ Kumiko is a centuries-old form of Japanese woodworking that assembles thousands of precisely cut thin wooden slats into an intricate grid. Each piece is cut and fitted by hand to hold the structure in place by tension alone.⁠ ⁠ Tatami spaces carry centuries of cultural, social, and architectural significance, and are Japan’s oldest unit of architectural measurement. Their proportions influence the planning of Japanese homes, their materiality was shaped by comfort and the seasons, and their layout defined how people sat, slept, gathered and interacted.⁠ ⁠ These techniques and their materials inform ceremony, ritual, cultural meaning and how a space feels and functions.⁠ ⁠ I. Tokyo home of architect Kazuhiro Ishii, c. 1987.⁠ ⁠ II. Hakuei Residence in Osaka, Japan, designed by Akira Sakamoto, c. 1997.⁠ ⁠ III. Ichiya-tei / One Night Teahouse in Kanagawa, Japan, designed by architect Terunobu Fujimori, 2003.⁠ ⁠ IV. Interior of 待月楼 restaurant in Shizuoka, from the book 待月楼と瓢月亭 (1996) by Munetoshi Kawaguchi and Yoshihiro Kawaguchi.⁠ ⁠ V. Villa Katsura, designed in the 17th century by Prince Hachijō Toshihito and his son.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #lucyfolk