'Cabinets' by Amination redefines traditional Japanese shelves with Midjourney

Kagu, or traditional Japanese shelves, are reminders of Japan's renowned craftsmanship and longevity in design. To suffuse a delicate touch to their features of utility, traditional Japanese shelves frequently employ sliding doors or woven screens. Product designer Amin Saadat, aka Amination, reimagines the classic elegance of Kagu in his recent cabinet collection, made possible by the creative use of the artificial intelligence programme Midjourney. With this conceptual design collection, Amination skillfully brings to life, his vision of playfulness and vivacity in design, realised within functional furniture.

Describing the creative inspiration behind the conceptual furniture collection, Saadat relays, “My interest in textured glass and well-organised Japanese shelves is obvious. But when they come into the land of my mind, they get further from the Japanese discipline and come closer to a more playful identity, into the minimal and playful gestalt seen in Wes Andersen's scenes. Moreover, if you have a pet, they would have a place in/ on my cabinets, for sure!”

The furniture designer's sprightly cabinets radiate playfulness in both, their visual appeal as well as the immersive experiences they offer, creating a seamless blend of fun and functionality. “Fun and function always remain in my mind’s background, since playfulness is not always about appearance, but the experience. It makes products more joyful and lovely, creating a stronger bond between the human and the object—the stronger the connection, the less waste. So, playful products (usually) follow a sustainable attitude in terms of longevity,” Saadat elaborates.

A harmonious blend of AI and product design suffuses the conceptual Cabinets by Amination, where each object narrates a different tale while collectively possessing a unified and vivid identity. Explaining the design process and challenges encountered while conceiving the same, Saadat says, “Designing with AI has its own challenges, a little bit different than classic design methods—still serious, still time-consuming. For example: with the Cabinet project, it was very challenging for me to get closer to what I wanted and escape the default language of AI. You need to try various prompts and words to explain exactly what you want and what you don't, to the programme. Having a broader background and vocabulary in random areas would definitely help you to create your design with your signature, unlike others who followed AI's defaults.”

Amination enhances the visual appeal of furniture designs such as these, by incorporating playfulness and functionality into them, in tandem with balancing heritage and cutting-edge technology. The designs not only feature an elevated aesthetic appeal but also foster a deeper connection between humans and objects. Through Saadat's efforts of reimagining the traditional Kagu through AI, we are reminded that design, when tackled with imagination and inventiveness, can tread new ground while paying reverence to timeless craftsmanship and forms.