SHINTARO KONO is an experimental
lighting product brand founded by Tokyo-based engineer Shintaro Kono. He treats engineering not merely as a tool for efficiency, but as a medium to bridge technology with everyday emotions such as joy, loneliness, anxiety, and the texture of memory. His works are neither mass-produced commodities nor static art pieces, but “Living Equipment,” designed to be lived with and integrated into a person’s life.
The Design Vision of SHINTARO KONO
Kono has been making things since childhood. He studied electronics engineering and founded Makership Inc. in 2016. By developing technology for artists and designers, he discovered how art, design, and engineering can meet in daily life. He believes technology can be an expression in itself, not only a tool.
SHINTARO KONO and the Concept of Living Equipment
“Living Equipment” expands the role of consumer electronics (mainly lighting) from pure utility into objects that can hold feelings and memories.
A well-engineered product can be treated as disposable, while a non-functional gift from a friend may be kept for years. Can a silent appliance become like family? Living Equipment is an attempt to bring objects with meaning beyond function back into the home.
When Kono creates a new piece, he balances clear operability with poetic sensibility. It must be safe and easy for anyone, including older people and children, and fit naturally into daily routines. At the same time, he avoids fully explaining the story, leaving room for the owner to layer their own memories.
The Quiet Technology of SHINTARO KONO
Each piece is carefully produced in very small quantities—made to order or as a one-of-a-kind work—and assembled, finished, inspected, and shipped by Kono himself. The electronics are deliberately non-IoT and reduced to the minimum required for safety and reliability. Repairability is a guiding principle in every design decision.
Materials—mainly metal and acrylic—are selected with attention to overall balance, including the way light diffuses. When switched off, the object remains a sculptural presence; when illuminated, it fills the space with a gentle emotional warmth. Kono treats light not only as illumination, but as a “visitor to a room”: soft, slightly unpredictable, and reassuring.
“As Long As The Night Lasts”: The Foundational Work of SHINTARO KONO
The brand’s foundational work, As Long As The Night Lasts, was born from a longing for sunsets hidden by city buildings and from affection for Kono’s grandmother, who lives alone in a distant town. The piece translates the passage of time into fading light, connecting human hearts.
SHINTARO KONO continues to explore the possibilities of Living Equipment through lighting and plans to expand into other everyday forms such as clocks and audio players. He also pursues site-specific collaborations with architects and designers. Shipped from Tokyo to the world, these pieces do more than brighten a room: they remain close to human emotion and become part of daily life and its memories.
