Do We Really Need More Stuff? — with Japanese Architect Takero Shimazaki

Most of us think we need more — more space, more things, more possessions. Japanese architect Takero Shimazaki believes we may already have enough. Takero has designed some of the most elegant private houses in Britain, including one that was nominated for the Stirling Prize. His buildings are never grand or showy. Instead, they are thoughtful and restrained. He grew up in Japan, where there’s a long tradition of embracing imperfection and accepting that materials age naturally. His grandfather — also an architect — taught him that light and proportion shape not just a building, but how we feel inside it. It’s a philosophy Takero has carried with him ever since. When his father died two years ago, he found himself confronting a simple but liberating truth: we don’t really own anything. Today, he tries not to own much. He still wears the cashmere jumpers he inherited from his grandfather. In this conversation, Takero reflects on the Japanese idea of “enough” — the belief that most of us already have what we need. He speaks about his own modest Victorian house and about how good design can create spaces that feel calm and private even in the middle of a dense city. This is a conversation about impermanence, intention, and how taking care of the things around us allows them, in turn, to take care of us. To hear more from us: YouTube:

You can listen to Do We Really Need More Stuff? — with Japanese Architect Takero Shimazaki online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Do We Really Need More Stuff? — with Japanese Architect Takero Shimazaki is an episode from The Modern House Podcast by Matt Gibberd.

This episode is 54:48 long.

This episode was published on Apr 16, 2026.

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