A new year. A new breeze. 2026 curating Japan and the Nordics, moving forward.

Happy New Year.

My name is Daiki Koshiba, Representative of KO DESIGN CONCEPT.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has welcomed the products we curate into their daily lives.

Last year was once again a year in which we strongly felt the shifts in society and the economy.

Because of that, I have come to place even greater importance on the following values:

◆ Things that can be used for a long time

◆ Things with a clear philosophy or story behind them

◆ Things whose value deepens as time passes

In other words, things that are essential.

Through Nordic products, KO DESIGN CONCEPT has long introduced to Japan a way of living alongside design, and a sense of beauty that feels natural and unforced.

In 2026, while continuing to cherish Nordic design,we also want to view “the good things rooted throughout Japan” through the same lens and curate them with the same care.

This is a direction we would like to express more clearly and more strongly.

Just as Japan’s forests and rivers shape landscapes over long stretches of time, Nordic design has also been nurtured in close relationship with nature.

Connecting these shared values naturally within everyday life that, I believe, is the role KO DESIGN CONCEPT should play going forward.

Art is one such element.

Just like furniture and lighting, art has a powerful influence on the surrounding of space.

By introducing even a single piece of Nordic art into a Japanese home, the air in the room feels instantly more composed, and the entire living space gains a sense of clarity.

At KO DESIGN CONCEPT, we would like to continue proposing art as an essential element in reshaping how we live.

In 2025, we renewed the KO DESIGN CONCEPT corporate website, clarifying what we value and where we are heading.

In 2026, we will take another step forward, as a company, deepening the quality of our proposals and the depth of our editorial perspective, making this a year of continued evolution.

From here, I’d like to share a bit of personal “evolution.”

Over the past few months, I’ve adopted a gentle 16:8 fasting routine(16 hours without eating, meals within an 8-hour window).

Creating time not to over eat helped my body reset, and as a result, I lost about four kilograms.

Thanks to that, I can continue playing basketball, something I’ve loved for years, without knee pain, and hopefully continue for many years to come.

We also welcomed a new family member: a small cat named Nene.

It feels as though a new, gentle rhythm has been added to our home.

As we entered the new year, we hung new Paper Collective artwork in our home, refreshing the atmosphere of the space.

In fact, after rearranging the posters in our room, I was reminded once again:

If you want to refresh your space and change its mood, replacing or rearranging posters is something I wholeheartedly recommend.

Even without moving large pieces of furniture, simply changing the artwork can dramatically transform the atmosphere of a space.

In our home, we displayed:

• Two posters sized 50 × 70 cm

• Two posters sized 30 × 40 cm

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This combination works beautifully.

Our cabinet is 180 cm wide, and arranging the artwork at this scale creates a pleasing sense of balance. The negative space remains elegant, and the eye moves naturally across the wall, something I highly recommend.

Rather than aligning everything too precisely,leaving a little breathing room makes all the difference.

With this mindset, Nordic art blends effortlessly into Japanese living spaces, and you can feel the overall atmosphere of the home quietly come into harmony.

By adding just a single piece of Nordic art to a Japanese interior, the impression of daily life is gently refreshed.

It’s an experience I’ve come to appreciate once again.

Work and life, body and home, taking time to gradually bring things into balance and improve the flow. I believe it’s this steady accumulation of small adjustmentsthat becomes the strength to sustain us over time.

Thank you for your continued support in the coming year.

KO DESIGN CONCEPT

Representative Daiki Koshiba