Esperanto. Like the hoverboard, Hulk Hogan’s Pastamania and Kim Kardashian’s marriage, the reality of Esperanto has never quite lived up to the initial vision. Japanese designer Ichiro, however, called upon the world’s second language when naming his Ichiro-iro series of furniture – ‘iro’ being Esperanto for ‘tool’. Utilising local plywood and ash, Ichiro’s ‘tools for the real you’ series features the Koloro (‘colour’ in Esperanto – but you knew that) desk and stool.

Ichiro’s single-minded obsession with colour sees him creating in-house paint blends, often custom-tinting even single sheets. The eye-catching Koloro-desk – a compact space functioning as its own private room – comes complete with lighting, plants and bijou windows. This flexible design means the space lends itself to a number of uses, so that the home office can evolve into a child’s play area or a craftsman’s space over time. The cushioned seat of the complementary Koloro-stool hides a box suitable for storing any number of necessary nick-nacks. We think it’s a super chic way to play house. Photos by Akihiro Ito.