"When it comes down to it, tatami is best for summer."
"...Tatami. Hmm, tatami..."
"Have you ever used one? They're really good. I use one every year."
"...Hmm. It certainly seems cool, but
I can't really imagine myself using one.
Like, my grandma's house had them, but... aren't they a bit old-fashioned?"
"(With a big sigh) Haaah! You really have no imagination!
I'm talking about tatami that doesn't exist anywhere else!"
"...But I have a sofa!"
"That's exactly what I'm talking about!"
Looking back, this project started with me personally being completely unenthusiastic.
A director with an unusually strong passion for tatami pushed me into it, and before I knew it,
he had found a tatami factory in Fukuoka, and a large number of tatami weaving samples arrived at the office.
"Tatami designs that can be used with a sofa (perfect for summer)"
This was our starting point.
What can be done with tatami, or rather, "rush grass"?
Starting from an unknown place, once I saw the samples and talked to the producers,
I was surprised to learn that you can actually do almost anything with it, just like with regular woven rugs,
and the range of pattern expression is also wide.
In the first place, rush grass is "grass," but
I was also surprised that it could be dyed as beautifully as thread.
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If that's the case, then expression is free.
Since we had the opportunity, we came up with the idea of a rug that would also match BasShu's fabrics,
and boldly tried an all-over pattern.
The pattern is based on the now-defunct BEACON BLANKET,
which was produced in the northeastern United States in the early 1900s.
Originally, it was an outdoor blanket with colorful patterns,
but we kept it to two tones to make it easier to match.
The colors are BLUE and NAVY, both of which look great in summer interiors.
This is NAVY.
The size is 140 x 200cm.
Actually, one of these two colors
uses the natural green of the rush grass, without being dyed.
It's like the "ecru" of cotton.
We went through a lot of trial and error to reach the final form,
but perhaps it's in our Japanese genes, but the blue-green of tatami has a wonderfully refreshing feel.
The scent, too.
The moment you spread it out, the scent of tatami wafts up,
This is truly Japan's summer.
On a hot summer day,
lying down here is the best.
We will be selling these two colors + one new pattern exclusively on the online store.
IGUSA RUG [made in Japan]
col. BLUE / NAVY
material. 100% domestic rush grass
19,440yen
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This year's new arrival is here.
IGUSA RUG [ made in Japan ]
col. NATURAL x GRAY
material. 100% domestic rush grass
19,800yen > View in Online Store
Finally,
Although I learned a lot from the producers about the wonderful properties of rush grass, which is also called a "natural air purifier," I haven't been able to convey even half of it.
I'll write about that again later.
See ya!
posted by A. Imoto