Harmony and balance - a sense of presence

Maiko Watanabe

Born in Tokyo, Maiko won a design award before graduating from Musashino Art University, earning her Bachelor of Arts in industrial and interior design. She went on to be one of the few recipients of a scholarship from the Italian government to follow an industrial design course at the Polytechnic University of Milan. In 2001, she co-launched M+K DESIGN in Milan where her creations included lighting products, product design and exhibition design over the course of 10 years, before she moved back to Tokyo to also become an active third-generation Japanese calligrapher as well as art director of Seishinsha Co., Ltd, an organization that researches and studies Japanese contemporary calligraphy. 

Koichi Tanaka

Born in Ibaraki, Japan. Koichi is a Japanese lighting designer and consultant and has a wealth of experience in Asia and Europe. He graduated from Keio University with Bachelor of Engineering and University College London, the Bartlett with a Master degree in Light and Lighting. He worked for several well-known lighting manufacturers and design firms in Japan and Europe. In 2001, he co-launched M+K DESIGN. In 2011, he launched own lighting design firm, Lightlinks International Limited in Hong Kong and Tokyo.