2CD Home Sanctuary is a tool for securing one's own sanctuary, so to speak. It is something that should be in the hands of those who live busy lives and need time and space to face themselves. In this first installment, we visited floral artist Nicolai Bergmann at his workplace to hear about his impressions of 2CD Home Sanctuary and what he keeps in mind in order to enrich his mind.
Facing flowers and preparing the mind.
2CD Home Sanctuary is a tool that originates in the philosophy of Zen, which promotes calmness of mind and concentration, and is also an interior design that delicately forms only the essence of the product without unnecessary decoration. Nicolai Bergmann, a floral artist, held the product in his hands. His flower boxes, in which lively flowers are neatly laid out in a massive box, are well known as one of his representative works. As one of the most well-known flower artists in Japan, how does Nicolai continue to produce such fascinating flowers?
"Working with flowers is something that is invaluable and meaningful to me. Recently, I have a lot of work to do outside of my creative activities, but I put aside the many projects I care about and concentrate solely on the flowers in front of me. I try to secure such time and space as much as possible. For example, there are many days when I have meetings from 9:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the evening, but facing the flowers, even if only a little, creates a space in my mind and thoughts where I can relax. In addition, I have recently realized that it is no exaggeration to say that the time has come to make flowers as a time to face oneself. I was very impressed by what one of the students of our regular flower school said to me after arranging flowers. Recently, I've had a lot of people tell me that they felt very peaceful and immersed in the moment, forgetting everything that was going on around them,” he says.
(Nicolai Bergmann politely responds to our interview.)
Among couples who take flower lessons for the first time, it is often the men who are more absorbed in the class,” Nicolai Bergmann said. In the first place, women are more likely to have the impression that flowers = fun. It may be that men get hooked by actually touching them and realizing their unexpected charm. Perhaps the act of stopping to talk and quietly facing the flowers is in itself refreshing.
"Come to think of it, Japanese families always turn on the TV in the morning, or there is always some sound playing in the background. When I was born and raised in Denmark, this was not a common sight. It may be important from now on to have the viewpoint of creating a “nothing” situation, eliminating as many extra things/things as possible in our busy daily lives,” he says.
(The products on the bottom shelf are from 2CD Home Sanctuary.)
What is important is how you start your day
2CD Home Sanctuary proposes to use its products as daily necessities, such as when you wake up in the morning and look at yourself, or to have a quiet moment before going to sleep at night. How does Nicolai make time to face himself in his daily life?
"I try to do two things as part of my morning routine. The first is to avoid touching my smartphone for the first hour after waking up. The second is to exercise at home. After exercising, my head and body feel refreshed and calm. I believe that how you start your day is very important. The truth is, though, that with the recent birth of my child, it has become quite difficult for me to make time for a quiet morning. I think this 2CD Home Sanctuary is a tool that will help me to enrich that kind of time for myself. Also, once work starts, I tend to immerse myself from morning to night, but it would be very healthy if I could make time to face myself, even if it is only for a short period of time, like 10 minutes. I will definitely try to incorporate this into my work in the future. As a side note, I have been managing a garden called “Nicolai Bergmann Hakone Gardens” in Hakone for about two and a half years. I created the garden in the hope that floral design would be incorporated into the nature of Hakone and that it would become a place where people and nature would be connected, "he says.
(The comfortable sound of the orin and the rich fragrance of incense accentuate the time spent with oneself.)
Beauty created by natural materials
2CD Home Sanctuary was created with the idea that it is best to use natural materials in a form that is not overly elaborate, and that is polished to its ideal state.
He said, “When I heard that each product, including stone and brass, was processed from nature, with particular attention paid to the craftsman and the place of production, I first of all liked the concept of it. I also like the fact that each product is made from natural materials, so no two are alike, and each has its own unique coloring. And each piece will change over time, depending on the user. Like the flowers we handle, I think this is a wonderful product that gives us the feeling that it will be a good opportunity to do something good if we keep it in our homes.
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Flower artist from Denmark. He has established a unique style that fuses Scandinavian taste with Japanese sensibilities. In April 2022, he will open “Nicolai Bergmann Hakone Gardens” in Gora, Hakone.
https://www.nicolaibergmann.com
https://www.instagram.com/nicolaibergmann/
https://hakonegardens.jp