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Oct 19, 2022 0 comments

Nathan - Founder of Kokuga Flower Studio

Hanging Out With Nathan Kunigami,

The founder of Kokuga Flower Studio.

It all started after a trip to Japan where he had his first contact with Ikebana - an ancient art known for composing delicate, harmonious arrangements, full of symbolism. Ikebana means "live flowers" or "arrangement of flowers". The contact with flowers transformed Nathan Kunigami's understanding of the world and that's how Kokuga Flower Studio was born. A different space from the traditional flower shops in Lisbon where the beautiful, sophisticated and simple go hand in hand.

Get to know him.

Can you tell us your story so far?

My name is Luísa, I was born and raised in Lisbon, and I love this city. I took a Design degree and I am extremely passionate about color and graphics. Music has always been a big part of my life, it helps me to focus on work and to never stand still. Ever since I was little I have experienced a lot of different genres of music. My mother was always listening to Fado at home, so it’s a genre that I keep very present.

Four years ago I received my first vinyl record, an album and ever since then I haven’t stopped buying music. After that I took some beginner lessons in Djing with a good friend of mine and have become more and more interested in this craft. New opportunities to play started coming up so I began to focus more on Djing, playing mostly in events and clubs. Nowadays I have a monthly program at an online radio - Collect Radio - where I play lounge and dance music.

I fell in love with Surfing couple of years before and had the idea of designing my own home in shipping containers, send them to Portugal and start my new life together with my girlfriend and daughter close to the sea.

Why Pt? Because I was travelling Portugal in my Van for more than 12 years and every time I was spending a couple of weeks at the coastline, first Zambujeira do mar, later I went South where I started to surf. The amazing nature, the Portuguese lifestyle and surfing, it was a dream for me to come there. So at the end I got things done and moved close to Budens / Vila do Bispo, where I enjoy my time, improve surfing day by day and working on my creative projects.

Can you tell us your story so far?

I was born and raised in Rio to a Brazilian mom and Japanese dad. Until 2018 I used to work in corporate communications for luxury brands, which was always a career goal for me. But after 8 years something changed and I realised I didn’t really want to have a corporate career anymore. At the same time, my partner was living in the US and we both wanted to be in the same city. Lisbon came up in a conversation and we came to visit for the first time in 2017. We moved one year later. Besides changing countries I also decided to change careers. So I in January 2019 I officially started Kokuga Flower Studio in Lisbon.

Next steps for you?

I’m looking for a studio/showroom space where I can work from. It’s a big step for Kokuga, since I’ve always worked from home.

Best spot in Portugal?

There are so many… But I would say beaches. I love the ones in Arrábida.

What does style means to you?

Something that gives you confidence to be yourself.

What motivated you to get started with The Peak House?

The Peak House was a dream come true. Since a long time ago when we both started traveling around the world, chasing the perfect wave, most of the times we ended up staying in places with the same feeling as The Peak House, where the contact with local people was always a priority to us. These people and friends inspired us to embrace this lovely journey

What does style mean to you?

Style means atitude, conscience and sense of responsibility for the Mother Nature and the other human beings, in and outside of the water.

What does style mean to you?

What motivated you to get started with Kokuga Flower Studio?

It was a wake-up call on how I wanted to live my life. I could stay where I was (which was very safe, comfortable and actually nice too) or turn my life upside down and try something completely new (work wise, love wise, pretty much everything). But in a way it all started with my first trip to Japan in 2017 and taking this Ikebana private class with a local artist.

What is the band / music style / music artist that inspire you?

I can be very eclectic when it comes to music. Currently I’ve been listening Renaissance (from Beyonce) non-stop. But two artists that I just love are Sevdaliza and Benjamin Clementine.