The 480 Japanese exhibitors at InteriorLifestyle Tokyo were joined by 172 international designers and companies, and while I was more interested in seeing Japanese designs that get little overseas exposure, I was also curious to see which European companies would be courting the Japanese market at the show. Of the dozens of European booths at Tokyo Big Sight last week, Paris's Moustache was a definite standout.

"Instant" Chair & Table by Matali Crasset in foreground; "Bold" by Big Game in background

Of course, we'd seen one of their products a couple months prior, at the Salone: Swiss designers Big Game turned to Moustache to produce the "Bold" chair. The rest of the products, all by young European designers, had a similarly playful aesthetic.

"Vapeur" lamp by Inga Sempé

"Guichet" wall clock by Inga Sempé; Ô vase, basket & carafe by Ionna Vautrin

Center: "Dress" by Benjamin Graindorge; Right: "Cyclope" by Ionna Vautrin

"Instant" seat by Matali Crasset

"Instant" seat by Matali Crasset

InteriorLifestyle Tokyo:
» Ishinomaki Laboratory: Disaster Recovery through Design
» eN by Masaharu Asano
» Keeping Cool with Natural Products
» Paris via Tokyo: Moustache Design at InteriorLifestyle
» Traditional Japanese Woodwork Abound
» Refining Dining through Ceramics
» Brass Bells and the Virtues of Tin

Special thanks to Kai Mitsushio, co-founder of wakumi, for assisting with coverage and translations for InteriorLifestyle Tokyo.