Yukari Sweeney Design

kodomiru and yukari sweeney design: making christmas!

recently yukari has been in contact with the lovely Ms Ishimaru, founder of the kodomiru charity based in Nagoya, Japan. from Nagoya, she organizes volunteer work in the Tohoku region of Japan, in areas where the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami hit the worst. kodomiru is a charity focussing on the well being of childrens’ futures. it is important to remember that schools and communities were destroyed in the earthquake, not just homes, and that for many young people their futures will be very uncertain.

we met kodomiru’s Ms Ishimaru through a mutual friend in Yukari’s home town of Nagoya, after they did some volunteer work for her charity. we were introduced and since then we have been discussing with her the best way to go about helping those in Japan who have lost everything begin to rebuild and feel even a little bit ‘normal’ again.
kodomiru began life as a charity formed in order to gather resources for the schools in the worse effected areas of Tohoku. by asking individuals for their support by donating unused picture books, she was able to supply vital educative supplies for nursery schools and daycare centres to use with their children. it was a popular drive, and though donations was plentiful, the reality of the situation was that the small size of these nurseries and day cares restricted the amount of space that could be used to house books and resources.

Ms Ishimaru has been a parent for 10 years, so she knows how important it is to have the right kind of environment for your children when they are developing. during her work recently, she has visited the temporary housing communities in Fukushima and was reminded of the time of year- winter was approaching, as were the traditional holidays of christmas and new years. of course, it is hard to think about how somebody in that situation can enjoy a christmas in a place so different from normal.

this is where we come in: kodomiru and Ms Ishimaru need our help to decorate trees! a small ornament for a tree can make a big impact in a child’s christmas night. they can become little gifts to the children and adults who have lost so much this past year. to us, christmas is an important time because we get to spend time with our loved ones and exchange gifts- so what better way to think about others, and give a small piece of happiness to people in Japan who have had such a tough year.

it doesn’t have to be expensive, it just needs to show your empathy for those left with so little at christmas. often people don’t need expensive gifts or a lot of food- it is sometimes enough just to know that you are being thought about at a special, beautiful time of the year. so please help us!
the best kind of ornaments to send are light, non-fragile and something child friendly. it doesn’t have to be expensive or hand made, it just needs to be something that a child or adult can hold and place on a tree, together, at christmas. you can send your ornament (the sooner the better!) to us at:

Yukari Sweeney Design
46 Royal Hill
Greenwich
London SE10 8RT
United Kingdom

we just know that all the people living in temporary housing communities in Fukushima will be so delighted to recieve something from wherever you are. maybe you can include a message of support too! anything is going to be very appreciated. we’ll keep you updated on this project as much as we can in the run up to christmas. we really hope it will be a success!

as ever, please feel free to check out our blog or join our Facebook group. we also have a Twitter account that you can follow!

Cushion #9

hi everyone! we hope you are well, and have enjoyed your summer holidays.

today we are introducing to you a new product in our ever growing collection. say hello to the ‘cushion #9’, a small cushion made to fit perfectly into your favourite chair or stool.

this cushion has been inspired by our recent addition to our furniture family, a beautiful 1960s Eames RAR Rocker. you might remember our excitement about this chair a few months back! since we love this chair (and indeed all of the Eames furniture and artwork that we have been pouring over since meeting the wonderfully knowledgeable people at Firefly House) we really wanted to make something that shows our love for great, lasting design. and this is where the ‘cushion #9’ comes in!

to some Eames fans, the name may sound a little familiar. we were ‘researching’ (okay, we admit, enviously looking at) the history of the Eames couple’s products in a nice little book we have, when we came across the ‘Case Study House #9’. this house was designed by Eames, for their friend John Entaza, from 1945-1949. the house was built in mind to promote the home as ‘a returning place for relaxation and recreation through reading and music and work- a place of reviving and refilling, a place to be alone for preparation of work, and with matters and concerns of personal choosing’. this relaxing yet practical ethos fit perfectly with our idea of what the home should be, and how objects in the home should be used.

being big fans of relaxation AND of hard work ourselves, we wanted to create a product that would help you unwind when you needed, as well as aid you in concentrating on your work when it is due. each cushion is hand printed and 30cm by 50cm; the ‘cushion #9’ is made to slot nicely behind the small of your back in an armchair or even a work seat, and its firm feather pad filling makes sure it’s soft and snug when you need it to be. we looked at the colour schemes of the house and at the many colours that the RARs themselves came in, and found that a recurring strong yet soothing palette was being developed.

we wouldn’t have been able to make this post or, indeed, these cushions without having met the lovely Jan and Russell of firefly house. their enthusiasm and love of all things mid-century has really sparked a great creative urge in us, and they are (we can’t say this enough!) just the most supportive and wonderful people. if you want to learn more about designers like the Eames couple and their contemporaries, or just talk to some great people, take a look at their Blog. they have very interesting and educational updates about designers, furniture, and general goings on at their shop in North London, as well as news on furniture that they have. we’ll be sharing news of another collaboration we’ve done with them very soon…so stay tuned!

as ever, please feel free to check out our blog or join our Facebook group. we also have a Twitter account that you can follow! so now you have no excuse. see you soon!

a sustainable japan

today we have a small update on the state of our charity project for japan . we have been selling our furoshiki and tote bags from the website, and the tote bags are being sold by the lovely people at garrendenny lane , too. we’re always making the bags and furoshiki in our studio with our team, so do feel free to order- you would really be doing a great deed!

we must not forget there are still people struggling in japan: they have lost their homes that may have housed generations of their families, and their hometowns may be quarantined because of irreparable damage or even radiation problems. in fact over 30,000 people are still living in temporary housing and school halls and gyms. it is not something to overlook- we in the west may not be able to help physically rebuild japan, so we should emotionally support people as much as possible, as life like this can feel isolated and unsettled as there is no real space to call ‘home’.

as a surface design company we feel a sense of love and ‘home’ is so special. of course we want to help these people as much as possible with rebuilding their feeling of safety and belonging in their hearts. so when we watched this program we discovered a group of very dedicated and selfless people in sumita town, an inland town in Iwate prefecture, japan. sumita town is situated nearby to a japanese cedar tree forest, and they use this special wood to create suatinable, long lasting and extremely well made temporary housing for those people left without homes after the earthquake.

the mayor of sumita town announced the project in january of this year, having watched the recent news reports of disasters in various parts of the world. ‘we want to help our neighbors, no matter what’, he said, of the decision to build housing even if his area was not hit by the tsunami and earthquake. ‘this precious forest was left to us by our ancestors…we must use these valuable trees in a sustainable and respectable way’.

in may, 98 families moved into the houses in sumita town. the houses are not only eco-friendly and sustainable, but the fact that they are made of wood is something psychologically beneficial, too. ‘wood makes [the houses] feel cozy. i feel safe that the tsunami won’t reach us [inland], too’, a new resident told the reporter. his house was destroyed in his coastal hometown. ‘the mountains will protect us. this wood is helping us regain a calm state of mind.’

as ever, please feel free to check out our blog or join our Facebook group. we also have a Twitter account that you can follow for up-to-the-minute updates on our run up to the 100% Design show this year. do visit us!

wish you were here in london

hi everybody, we hope you are all safe and well. this week’s blog update is a little bit sad, but we hope we can cheer you up with some good news!

this past week we have been dealing, as a city based company, with the riots that have been spreading through every area in london. thankfully we and all of our family and friends that live here are safe, and we hope you have been too. our studio in greenwich was nearby the areas targeted for looting and rioting, thankfully nothing was harmed. we are wishing you all the best if you have had problems and are still coping with the repercussions of these peoples’ actions. we are sending all of our best thoughts and support to you.

with peoples’ faith and sense of safety and love for their city rapidly decreasing, we think it is about time we revealed to you our new wallpaper design. we have been working on a london themed design for many months now, and we are finally getting it into production this month, in time for 100% Design London. we hope that this design will speak for itself in representing the city that we love and live in.

all of our wallpaper evokes a subtle sense of nostalgia and happiness. ‘wish you were here in London’ is our tribute to those halcyon days. so many memories of childhood were made in this exciting city; it would be such a waste to forget them when we are captured in the hustle of everyday life. we see iconic buildings and beautiful sights every day, but if we slow down and discover a quiet street or small café with people enjoying themselves, we can capture the stories and joys of each person who loves london in a unique way. look around; who knows what new surprises you might find.

this city contains such history, spirit and wonderful people. we hope everyone can begin to work together and learn to live happily again soon.

our mailing list and furoshiki!

hello everyone, we have some things we would like to alert you about today.

firstly is our new blog update, which shows some cute new ways of folding and presenting a gift to someone. it is a ‘summer theme’ this time, with a nice way of carrying around beach balls or even a watermelon with you on your travels outside this year! we hope you will take a look.

we would like to remind you that you can now buy the charity for japan furoshiki to begin your own folding adventure. you can buy it directly from us from our website, but remember these are of a limited run and may sell out!

finally, we have decided to distribute a monthly mailing list that will keep you up to date with any new designs or news we have regarding our little company. by clicking on the ‘contacts’ section of the website, you can sign up for the mailing list and join a quick and easy way to hear about any exciting news we have. simply click the ‘join our mailing list’ stamp on the bottom right hand corner of the page, enter your mailing address and we will be sure to send the e-letter your way!

as ever, please feel free to check out our blog or join our Facebook group.