Hiroshima based UID Architects studio was founded in 2003 by Keisuke Maeda. Clearly an advocate of designing in section and 3D, every project pushes the boundaries of solid and void, inside and outside, public and private. I think this is what happens when architecture and landscape architecture make babies…

Humble materials considered beautifully, intricate patterns on the shopfront, pristine joinery pieces that double up as room dividers – these are just some of the reasons I was instantly drawn to the IRO hair salon in Osaka, Japan. Designed by Reiichi Ikeda in collaboration with graphic designer Yuma Harada of UMA/design farm, this deceivingly simple and elegant interior is the epitome of Japanese design – where everything is perfectly balanced, restrained, elegant, honest and “just so”…