Recreating a Waxing and Waning Moon
This was a renovation project for a design hotel, in which all 13 rooms have different designs. In this project, we attempted an interior design that was not simply prone to changes in short-term trends, and strove to explore ornamentation as not just a means of decorating through a combination of different materials. Our attempt involved taking the function of dimming lights, which are almost always incorporated in hotel guest rooms, and ornamentalizing it.

The room we renovated was one with one narrow window facing the first floor courtyard. Rather than drawing in light from the outside, we carved a circular light fixture into the wall to create light like that of the full moon. By dimming down these lights, the moon changes from a full moon down to a crescent moon. The corners of the walls and ceiling were rounded off with plaster. In this secluded environment that feels as though you are inside the earth, the dimming functions of the light dramatically changes how the light spreads – as well as the mood of the entire room.

Just as the waxing and the waning of the moon influences the ebb and flow of the sea, these moon phases are also thought to impact the human body and emotions, as our bodies are also largely composed of water. Through this lighting environment and ornamentation based on the function of dimming, we have created a new style of hotel room design.

Team:
Designer: Hideaki Kubo + Yumi Tsushima / Kubo Tsushima Architects
Organizer: NPC & TRON TOKYO
Contractor: Semba corporation
Curator: TRON TOKYO