About her
About her
Ayana is a designer based in Kyoto.
Her curiosity for design and spaces started when she was a child. One of her favorite things to do was to make paintings, drawings, and small models of spaces and furniture. It was natural for her to start a journey of studying in the field of architecture and interior design.
Having completed her BA in architecture in 2017, including one year at Aalto University in Helsinki in 2013, Ayana started her career as an interior designer in Kyoto.
Ayana’s professional experience includes a wide range of project types and scales; both local and overseas; from private residences to commercial interiors. By being thoroughly involved from concept design to completion, Ayana delivers outstanding results and delights her clients.
Currently working as an interior designer based in Kyoto, Ayana is available for consulting with new clients by appointment.
Ayana is a designer based in Kyoto.
Her curiosity for design and spaces started when she was a child. One of her favorite things to do was to make paintings, drawings, and small models of spaces and furniture. It was natural for her to start a journey of studying in the field of architecture and interior design.
Having completed her BA in architecture in 2017, including one year at Aalto University in Helsinki in 2013, Ayana started her career as an interior designer in Kyoto.
Ayana’s professional experience includes a wide range of project types and scales; both local and overseas; from private residences to commercial interiors. By being thoroughly involved from concept design to completion, Ayana delivers outstanding results and delights her clients.
Currently working as an interior designer based in Kyoto, Ayana is available for consulting with new clients by appointment.
TAIMAI TRAY/MIRROR
Pieces of tortoiseshell, new journeys.
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TAIMAI is a contemporary design project that reinterprets the traditional Japanese art of tortoiseshell craftsmanship. The collection includes interior objects such as mirrors and trays, made from natural tortoiseshell derived from the hawksbill sea turtle (Taimai)—a material historically prized in Japan for its translucency, warmth, and organic beauty.
While tortoiseshell has traditionally been used in small luxury accessories, TAIMAI expands its potential into the realm of interiors, creating interior products that integrate harmoniously with architectural space and craftsmanship techniques bring quiet radiance into daily life.
The artisanal techniques are inherited from Edo Bekko-ya, a Tokyo-based traditional craft workshop with over a century of history. Yet today, this craft faces two pressing challenges: offcuts generated during production have been left unused in storage for decades, and among younger generations, there is limited awareness of the material’s cultural significance.
TAIMAI responds by transforming these long-stored remnants into elegant, contemporary pieces. The project not only reactivates dormant materials, but also promotes sustainable, zero-waste practice—vital in working with this precious and internationally regulated natural resource.
Each object celebrates the natural variation of tortoiseshell, capturing light through gentle transparency and rich, layered reflection. These qualities imbue interior spaces with a sense of time, softness, and quiet elegance.
TAIMAI offers a new journey for a centuries-old craft—one that resonates with contemporary lifestyles while preserving its enduring legacy.
TAIMAI | MIRROR
Vertical pieces of tortoiseshell frame the mirror, creating a quiet dialogue between material depth and light.
The subtle fluctuations reflected on the mirror surface shift with the surrounding light, gently blurring the boundary between inside and outside and drawing the viewer into a moment of stillness.
The soft warmth of natural tortoiseshell is contrasted with stainless steel, sharpening both texture and tone while allowing the material’s translucent beauty to emerge.
Born by the shore, shaped in the depths of the sea, and polished by human hands, tortoiseshell returns to land carrying a layered sense of time. The mirror captures this passage—holding fleeting moments, reflections, and memory within a quiet threshold.
TAIMAI | TRAY
Unlike the MIRROR, where tortoiseshell is used ornamentally, the TRAY explores its structural potential through bending techniques. Four hand-shaped pieces support the corners, enclosing the form with both strength and elegance.
Each tray combines pieces with differing color, pattern, and translucency, making every object uniquely singular.
Whether used to hold small personal items or resting quietly as an object in space, the TRAY integrates traditional craftsmanship into daily rituals, subtly revealing the material’s quiet beauty.
Photography by Alexandre Ferdinand Maubert