When I first started working in Hokkaido, I began to make a lot of fireplaces and stoves, which help make the long winter more pleasant. People gather around a fire, of course, and so old Japanese houses were centered in a sunken fire pit. In the Ainu language, fire is Ape. A sunken fire pit is "Apeso." In Apeso, people can gather around the fire to read, sip wine, and roast marshmallows.

In order to better match each hearth to its space, and bring out its individuality, we made wrought iron hearth covers. We put together design sketches and decided the iron's forging style, texture and color to match the wrought iron to each space's concept. The wrought iron work we do is often quite large and dynamic, but the pieces feel oddly warm and familiar up close. I believe this is because of the sense of hand work behind each one.

Our long-time partner for wrought iron work is Bloom Iron Factory. Since these are all so large and heavy, it can be difficult to install them on site, but we carry out each installation after detailed negotiation of each site. That tension is also another one of the pleasures of making things.