Nezen | Exhibition Recap

Not long ago, we the pleasure of hosting Nezen – An Exhibition of Futons and Bedding by Iwata during NYCxDesign Week.

It was unlike any exhibition we’ve held before. Rather than carefully observing the works from a distance, visitors were encouraged to take their shoes off, climb into the futons, compare pillows, feel the sheets, and simply spend time with the collection.

One visitor probably summed it up best: “I never thought I’d be laying down on the floor of Nalata Nalata.”

Neither did we!

The sheets sparked just as many conversations.

At first glance, apart from colour, the unbleached linen and long-staple cotton don’t appear dramatically different, until you get a chance to touch them. Some were immediately drawn to the crisp, dry hand of the linen. Others preferred the smoother feel of the long-staple cotton, whose longer fibers create a stronger yarn that softens beautifully over time. It became a reminder that bedding is personal and good bedding isn’t about choosing the “best” material, but the one that feels right for you.

One piece that also surprised many visitors was the Light Duvet. Despite being designed for warmer months, it still has enough loft to create that comforting feeling of being tucked into bed, without the warmth of a traditional Heavy Duvet.

Having Arichika Iwata with us throughout the opening weekend also gave the exhibition a different depth. Although we’ve visited the Iwata headquarters in Kyoto and spoken many times before the exhibition, spending several days together in the gallery gave us a much deeper appreciation for the collection.

Questions rarely stayed focused on a single item. A conversation about a pillow would lead to camel hair. Camel hair would lead to unbleached cotton. Before long we were talking about Zen philosophy, evening rituals, why futons are folded away each morning, or the interesting history of the company. You begin to realize that almost every decision within Nezen has been considered in addition to how something feels and why it exists in the first place.

Over the past several weeks, we’ve become fully immersed in the collection ourselves. We’ve slept on the futons, tested every pillow, compared linen with cotton, and probably talked about sleep more than we ever imagined.

Although the exhibition has now come to a close, Nezen remains a permanent collection at Nalata Nalata.

If you’re considering a futon setup, curious about the bedding, or simply wondering where to begin, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d be happy to help you find the setup that’s right for you.

Lastly, we’d like to thank everyone who helped make this exhibition possible: Arichika Iwata and the entire Iwata team, Ngân Nguyen, Tosei Shinabe, Masato Totsuka, Takuya Yonezawa, Takeshi Asakawa, Maki Imada, Armando Rafael Moutela and John Medley.