Desktop Forest is a series of partition particularly for the use on the desktop, each of which is made in a sheet of plywood gently curved to stand by itself. With these, diverse spaces within a space can be arranged at need in a very simply manner.

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Nowadays, working style is drastically changing, and what the workplace should be is called into question. As one of the today's form of the workplace, office is often designed open to encourage active communication. However, that can be stressful for some people.

 

Without creating a clear boundary which kills openness of a place, Desktop Forest easily inserts a sense of security within an open environment. A wide ranges of openness or gradation of privacy can be brought: from being secluded to just hiding something at hand. It can be also used for making space looks neat and tidy by concealing miscellanies.

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Desktop Forest and Canopy are designed for an exhibition, Material Design Exhibition 2018, organised by Material ConneXion Tokyo. For the exhibition, they produced collaborative projects by matching companies with designers, and Kosuke's company was Sumitomo Forestry.

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​Sumitomo Forestry has research data on the benefits wood brings. The project brief was designing something which can make a public appeal of their data in a tangible format. Kosuke focuses on the ones related to space and has conceived this idea, because, according to their data, being surrounded by wood brings many befits, such as, assisting with recalling one's memory, better concentration and relaxation, better management of one's stress, feeling the time shorter.

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This was a collaborative project with Akira Muraoka.

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Concept, Design: Kosuke Araki, Akira Muraoka

Research and Development: Kosuke Araki, Akira Muraoka, Sumitomo Forestry

​Production: Sumitomo Forestry Crest

Photography: Masami Naruo, Kosuke Araki (only one on the bottom)

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*A Registered Design (owned by Kosuke Araki, Akira Muraoka)

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Nominated for the Workplace Design category of Dezeen Awards 2019 and for the same category of its 2020 edition as well.