A Room in the Glass Globe by Hideyuki Nakayama

by Johnny on November 9, 2010

click to enlarge

In conjunction with Design Tide Tokyo, architect Hideyuki Nakayama – a protégé of Toyo Ito –　has teamed up with UNION, a manufacturer of door handles and levers, to create a glass globe doorknob. As you approach the doorknob you catch a glimpse of what appears to be another world, waiting for you to enter and join, but in fact is a reflection of the room on the other side of the door.

When I first saw this it was very Ghibli-esque to me. I’ve never seen so much thought go into a doorknob. It’s currently on display at Plain People in Aoyama.

via Openers

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7 comments

1 chelliswilson. { 11.10.10 at 10:22 am }: This doorknob, while a seemingly small detail, is the embodiment of so many things, as magical as it is meticulous. I’m feeling definite product lust for this! The interior of the Plain People shop is so inspiring as well. Thank you!
2 Johnny { 11.10.10 at 12:26 pm }: @chelliswilson thanks for your thoughts! I agree, it certainly is a fascinating piece. And the good news is that, unlike a lot of concept pieces, this one is actually going to be buyable.
3 Nick { 11.10.10 at 3:02 pm }: Very cool design piece, but not the most practical. The whole point you shut the door is so people don’t see whats on the other side. Now the sock has to go over the doorknob inside the room not outside.
4 Johnny { 11.10.10 at 3:07 pm }: @Nick good point. I suppose it would really only be practical in a retail setting such as a storefront, or a bar.
5 Juli { 11.11.10 at 8:29 pm }: My first thought was !!! This made my heart flutter. Magical.
6 Johnny { 11.14.10 at 11:07 pm }: @Juli isn’t it enchanting? I keep coming back to it.
7 yhbhs { 11.23.10 at 1:34 pm }: i live alone, and sometime i just shut my door to keep the energy out. find this to be a magical idea! love it.