Marc Webb and Naoko Takenouchi are the founders of Takenouchi Webb, an interior design studio melding both their skills of an architect and interior designer. As we celebrated our newest styles to the #mattermini range and collaboration with Little Islanders, we stopped by their home for a Sunday morning session with their little ones.
Tell us a little more about what you do.
We run an interior design studio in Singapore, Takenouchi Webb, specialising more in hotel, restaurant and bar projects.
How did you meet?
I was working in Singapore for another architect on a hotel project in Chiang Mai, Naoko was designing the restaurant for the same project from Tokyo and we first met at a project meeting in Bangkok. Naoko came to Singapore for a meeting, we met up for tea, and two months later she was moving to Singapore so we could be together. It was very fast!
What is it like working together?
We really like the honesty of working together as a couple, although I am not sure our staff feel the same way! Being together 24 hours doing something that we both love is also great.
You mentioned that the key to your success is the way in which you create a space by building upon layers of detail. Can you tell us more about that?
We always start our projects from a very practical point of view. ensuring the plan works operationally for the client is really the basis of where we start. As we then work through a project the level of detail becomes greater and greater until we end- up drawing the smallest elements of the space. The process only really ends when the deadline for the project is reached. We always continue to refine and fine-tune our designs until we have to stop.
Describe your creative process for us. What steps do you go through when you’re working through a project?
From the brief we usually think about the programme for the space and look at a broad range of images and references, not always from architecture or interior. The site his also an important starting point for us as it also leads us in a certain direction for the design.
What were you doing before you started Takenouchi Webb together? How do the dots connect?
I was working in London for many years as an Architect before ending up in Singapore and Naoko was in Japan. I think neither of us ever imagined we would be living here with our own office and two children, its been a great journey so far.
What is one thing you stand for and believe in, and why?
Can we have two? Honesty and sincerity, for both design and life.
How would you like to be remembered?
As good parents first and creative designers second.
There’s a lot of people who have a great ambition to go after their dreams but don’t know how and where to start. What would be your advice for someone with those questions?
Take your path slowly and be patient. It can be frustrating when you are younger that you are not doing the job you want or be in the place you want to be. For designers, and I am sure many other professions, the more experience you have the better you become.
We are inspired by Marc and Naoko’s creative pursuits are proud to have them as Fieldtesters, a group of inspiring individuals that test MATTER products in their everyday journeys of passion, to help us improve durability and design. Marc is wearing the Modern Monpe + Indigo in Size 1, and Naoko is wearing the Button-Back Top and Classic Wideleg in IChing Sandstone Size 1. Marc and Naoko’s children are wearing our Weekend Shirt and Dress made in collaboration with The Little Islanders.