About SOZOU
SOZOU is a lighting/product design studio based in Melbourne, Australia established in 2019. The studio aim to produce lighting and objects which act as a poetic word in a space without overwhelming its personality. Each object is hand made and finished in Melbourne their workshop to ensure the highest quality, and to enhance the emotion centric studio philosophy.
Sozou means ‘primitive shape’ in Japanese. the studio bases its design on the study of basic, simple and familiar forms/shapes with the desire to formulate a design language that can be interpreted, shared and felt by all.
Kohtaroh Colwell-Matsuura and Stefano Verdi are the designers of SOZOU studio. With a collective background in both the object and spatial, their shared practices have a developed appreciation towards multicultural and shared approaches to design and aesthetics.
Kohtaroh, born and raised in Tokyo, has a multidisciplinary background in visual art and design, designing and handcrafting high quality lighting products for several years. Stefano, born and raised in Italy, has a background in architectural design. He has a cultivated sense of spatiality that he brings to the lighting process.
Together, they continue cultivating their shared passion and philosophy based on various perspectives; East and West, the Australian landscape, emotional art and beauty of functionality.
