A designer, Maho Motoyama, originally from Tokyo, Japan, now lives in Los Angeles. She visited our store earlier this year (2026), bringing along her small boxes—some palm-sized or smaller—that looked like gems! She also introduced her box kits published by Fukunaga Print Co., Ltd., which we found very interesting. They are now available at our store and online. Enjoy the interview with her.
Did you do origami as a child? Now, as an adult? If so, do you see a connection between origami and the “boxes”?
As a child, I used to play with origami.
It allowed me to freely enjoy creating with colors and shapes, and it taught me the joy of making things by hand.
I think that experience of paper crafting through origami still lives within me today.
In addition to origami, something else that strongly connects to my work with paper boxes is math problems from elementary school. I loved solving problems involving unfolding three-dimensional forms (nets) and imagining cross-sections of solids. Perhaps those experiences also influenced my desire to create paper structures.
Do you remember the first “box” you ever made? What inspired that first shape?
The first paper box I made was likely an origami box. They are a sliding type and a box with a lid.
In my current practice of making paper boxes, the first shapes I created were a staircase and a house.
At the beginning, I was exploring ways to construct three-dimensional forms from paper by trying to recreate recognizable objects.
What inspires you to explore new shapes?
I like to approach form exploration from many different angles.
Sometimes I’m inspired by the shapes of minerals displayed in museums.
Other times, I imagine three-dimensional forms from flat layouts, such as tile patterns in my home.
I also adapt, simplify, or develop variations from shapes I’ve created in the past.
When an idea suddenly comes to me, I make sure to sketch it in a notebook right away.
What inspires you about flatness?
When creating three-dimensional forms from flat nets, the result often becomes geometric solids composed of planes.
I’m drawn to these forms because they express the smoothness of paper.
The flat graphic quality of the unfolded state, and the surprise after assembly, both inspire me and encourage me to create new shapes.
How do you choose a color for each shape?
I often lay out colored papers on my desk and arrange color samples to find good combinations.
I prefer to decide by seeing actual colors in real life rather than on a screen.
I also keep leftover scraps of paper, which I cut and arrange freely while carefully considering combinations.
For the product “COLOR,” I chose paper that is both durable and crisp, and selected colors that can bring a sense of joy and brightness to a room.
Your “boxes” are a gift of making as well as a final object. What is the importance to you of having someone participate in this making process?
Flat nets are easy to transport and can even be shared as data.
Being able to share the joy of making and assembling objects with people—regardless of location or language—is very important to me.
Paper makes this possible.
Compared to materials like wood or metal, paper is a primitive and accessible material that requires no special tools—just scissors and your hands.
It allows anyone to become creative.
What does it mean to you to collaborate with designers like Sou Fujimoto using a simple piece of paper?
Collaborations expose me to new colors and forms that I wouldn’t encounter in my individual practice, which is always stimulating.
When I created paper crafts based on Sou Fujimoto’s work, tracing his architecture through the act of making allowed me to imagine how his ideas were conceived.
It gave me a deeper understanding that is difficult to gain through observation alone.
When do you think in 2D? And 3D?
I often think in 2D and 3D simultaneously, moving back and forth between them.
Sometimes I think about a three-dimensional form from a flat net, and other times I derive a net from a three-dimensional structure.
Photo: Riko Okaniwa
As someone who has recently moved to the U.S., how do you feel about presenting your work here for the first time? What kind of response do you hope for?
This is my first time selling in a store in the United States, so I’m very excited.
Rather than simply purchasing a finished object, I hope people will enjoy buying the flat net and experiencing the process of assembling it themselves.
Where in the U.S. have you found—or do you expect to find—inspiration?
Where I lived in Japan, there were more cloudy and rainy days, with softer light.
In contrast, the U.S. has many bright, clear sunny days.
Because of this, the light and shadows cast on my boxes appear much more defined.
Seeing the importance of shadows firsthand has led me to incorporate them more consciously into my designs.
The photographs for “COLOR” were also taken under direct sunlight in the U.S in 2025.
Links
Website: https://mahomotoyama.com/
Online Shop: https://hakoyamaho.stores.jp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mahomotoyama/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hakoyamaho
